Mikel Brown Jr. to be on minutes limit for opener

The Brooklyn Nets are keeping the same starting lineup as last game with Mikel coming off the bench. This will provide him an opportunity to ramp up into regular season form.

Brown practiced fully over the weekend and participated in 5-on-5 on Monday morning. However, he’ll miss their preseason matchup with the Wizards on Monday night. He should be ready to go on opening night, as long as there aren’t any setbacks following his preseason debut on Wednesday.

MPJ and Sharpe both played in the preseason opener on Tuesday, so it’s unlikely these injuries are severe enough to impact their status for the start of the regular season. As for Brown and Jefferson, neither rookie played in the preseason opener, with their next chance to debut coming on Monday in Washington.

Brown Jr. sustained the injury within the last three weeks, and he’s limited at the start of Nets’ training camp. There are no indications that he’ll miss any time to start the regular season, but fantasy managers should still keep an eye on his status moving forward.

If Thursday’s game was the last for Brown in Las Vegas, he’ll head home with a sour taste in his mouth. The rookie guard shot 2-of-10 from beyond the arc and was 1-of-5 from two, as he struggled at times with Houston’s physical perimeter defense. However, given the time he missed during his lone college season due to a back injury, Brown’s ability to play starters’ minutes this summer is a positive. With Ben Saraf struggling in summer play and Nolan Traoré unavailable due to injury, Brown should go into training camp with a legitimate chance of earning significant playing time, if not the starting point guard role.

After scoring 20 points in his first Las Vegas appearance on Friday, Brown did not play against the Hawks on Saturday. Back in action on Tuesday, the rookie point guard put together a solid floor game in Brooklyn’s 32-point victory. Given what the Nets saw from the point guards they selected in the first round of last year’s draft, Nolan Traoré and Ben Saraf, Brown should have every opportunity to earn significant rotation minutes when training camp opens in the fall. He’s looked up to the task thus far, and Brown’s back has not been an issue after missing 14 games at Louisville last season.

Playing in just his second basketball game since February, Brown got going in the second half of Friday’s 91-65 victory. With future teammates Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle sitting courtside, the rookie guard scored 16 points after halftime as the Nets pulled away. Just as encouraging for the Nets is that Brown played well alongside Egor Dëmin, who also put up 20 points in the rout. As Brown gets more game reps, he brings a level of athleticism and skill the Nets lacked at point guard last season.

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.