The Brooklyn Nets’ second game of the 2026 NBA Summer League brought a different look, and not a better result. With Mikel Brown Jr. and Egor Demin sitting out, Brooklyn dropped to 1-1 after an 83-76 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
The absences shifted the burden onto the rest of the roster, and Chaney Johnson answered as well as anyone could have asked. He put together a 20-point, 10-rebound, five-steal double-double and was active everywhere, especially on defense. He also knocked down multiple triples in a game where almost nobody else on the Nets could find the range.
After the game, Johnson laid out his approach to Summer League in plain terms.
“It’s whatever gets me paid, you know what I’m saying?" Johnson said.
"I’ll do whatever it takes. So whatever the team needs, I’m there.”
Brooklyn actually came out sharp on offense in the first quarter, with second-year players Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf getting into a rhythm early. The Nets carried a 5-point lead into halftime, but the offense fell apart from there. Brooklyn managed just 14 points in the third quarter and then was outscored 26-16 in the fourth.
The shooting numbers tell the story. Johnson’s two made threes were the only ones Brooklyn hit all night. The Nets finished 8% from deep and 35% from the field.
Atlanta won the game with its reserves. The Hawks’ bench outscored Brooklyn’s bench 48-8, and former UCLA guard Kobe Johnson led the way with 17 points in 22 minutes off the pine. He also added seven rebounds, four assists and a steal.
There was at least one positive for Brooklyn: first-round pick Joshua Jefferson made his Summer League debut. The reigning Iowa State Men's Athlete of the Year had a rough night shooting, but he did get to the line and knocked down five free throws.
With Brown and Demin back in the mix, Jefferson should have more room to work next to better playmakers. Brooklyn’s next chance comes Tuesday, July 14, in a rematch with the Sacramento Kings.
The first meeting between those teams came without Brown, which left fans without the matchup they wanted against Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr., selected one spot after him at No. 6 overall. This time, the spotlight should finally land on the two lottery guards.
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