The Brooklyn Nets have already given themselves plenty to chew on in Las Vegas.
After three summer league games, Brooklyn sits at 2-1 and has shown both sides of the coin: convincing wins over Darius Acuff and the Sacramento Kings, and Pacome Dadiet and the New York Knicks, plus a tight loss to Kingston Flemings and the Atlanta Hawks when Atlanta simply executed better and brought more effort in the fourth quarter.
That leaves the Nets with at least two games still ahead, starting with Friday’s matchup against Bruce Thornton and the Houston Rockets, who are also 2-1. Brooklyn has a shot to stay in the top four for the summer league playoffs, and that makes Friday a useful measuring stick for a team trying to see what it really has in Las Vegas.
One of the biggest reasons for optimism has been Egor Demin. The guard came into the summer after a rookie season that ended early because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot, and there was at least some question about how he’d look.
Instead, he’s been one of Brooklyn’s best players. Through three games, Demin is putting up 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game while shooting 44.4% from the field and 28.6% from three-point range.
Mikel Brown Jr. has also made a strong impression. Brooklyn eased him into action during the California Classic, where he appeared in only one of the team’s three games while still working back from the back injury that bothered him at Louisville. In Las Vegas, he has played in two of three games and looked sharp, especially in Wednesday’s matchup against Acuff.
Then there’s Chaney Johnson, who may be forcing a bigger conversation than anyone expected. Johnson already has one of Brooklyn’s three Two-Way spots locked up, so the summer was supposed to be about getting him ready for Long Island, the Nets’ G League affiliate.
Instead, he’s been one of the more productive players on the roster, averaging 14.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game while shooting 66.7% from the field and 42.9% from deep. That kind of production is hard to ignore, and it’s putting him in the mix for NBA minutes sooner rather than later.
In Other News...
Nets Young Core Makes Loud Summer Statement In Blowout Of Kings
The Nets summer group did more than just win a July game against Sacramento, it announced itself early and then kept the pressure on. Egor Dmin set the tone with 16 points in the first period and was already up to 20 by halftime, while Mikel Brown Jr. and Drake Powell gave Brooklyn more of the kind of balanced scoring and activity teams hope to see from a young roster trying to sort out its next layer of talent.
Brooklyn never really let the Kings breathe after that opening push, and the result was a blowout that felt as much about pace and poise as it did about shot-making. Sacramento had its own bright spot in Darius Acuff, who led all scorers with 26 points and added five assists, but the bigger question for the Nets is whether this kind of summer showing can carry over once the games start to count and the competition gets a lot less forgiving. [Read more 🡒]
The Nets Have One Problem They Must Solve Before 2027
Brooklyns offseason has already brought a different look, with Julius Randle and Mikel Brown Jr. headlining the additions as the Nets start shaping a roster aimed at the 2027 season. The front office has clearly tried to add more talent, but the bigger question is whether those moves can help lift an offense that struggled badly a year ago and never found enough consistency to keep pace.
The most obvious issue remains the shot profile. Brooklyn took plenty of 3s last season, but the results were far too often empty possessions, and the teams perimeter efficiency dragged down the rest of the attack. If the Nets are going to move from rebuilding mode toward the postseason conversation, improving that one area may matter as much as any individual addition. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Guard Nolan Traore Offers Encouraging Injury Update
Nolan Traores summer has been more about the training room than the court, but the early signs around the Nets guard are still encouraging. Brooklyn has been monitoring his recovery closely after he was held out of summer league action, and the organization has continued to frame his rehab as moving in the right direction.
Sean Marks said Traore is expected to be ready for training camp in the fall, which matters because the rookie guard is in the mix for minutes at point guard when the season opens. With Mikel Brown Jr. and Ben Saraf also in that competition, Traores availability could shape how quickly Brooklyn sorts out its backcourt rotation. [Read more 🡒]