Mikel Brown Jr. scores 20 in blowout victory

After sitting out the Nets’ first two games at the California Classic, Brown made his summer debut on Monday. The lottery pick out of Louisville did not shoot the ball particularly well, but he dished out four assists and logged 19 minutes without issue. It remains to be seen how much Brown will play in Las Vegas, as he’s coming off a back injury that cost him 14 games last season. However, Monday’s effort was encouraging, even with the shooting struggles.

Despite playing in 21 games, Brown earned third-team All-ACC honors after his lone season at Louisville. A back injury led to him missing a total of 14 games; eight in December/January, and the final six after the issue flared up in late February. The 6-foot-5 Brown, who is one of the most gifted offensive talents in this draft class, averaged 18.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.6 three-pointers. To flourish at the next level, Brown will need to become more efficient as a scorer and playmaker, as evidenced by his shooting 41.0 percent from the field and committing 3.1 turnovers per game. While the Nets did use three of their five first-round picks in the 2025 draft on guards, none truly separated themselves from the pack. As a result, Brown should have every opportunity to take the reins as the franchise’s starting point guard of the future. The preseason battle between him, Egor Dëmin, Nolan Traoré and Ben Saraf will be one for fantasy managers to watch, especially if Brown remains healthy.