Mikel Brown Jr. hasn’t played a meaningful basketball game since February. That’s about to change.
The Brooklyn Nets’ first-round pick sat out Saturday’s 79-76 California Classic loss to the Sacramento Kings and will also miss Sunday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. But Nets Summer League head coach Dutch Gaitley told NetsDaily’s Shara Talia Taylor that Brown is expected to make his debut Monday against the Golden State Warriors.
Brown missed the second half of his freshman season at Louisville with a back injury. But league sources told ClutchPoints he’s not dealing with any current injury issues and has been fully participating in Brooklyn’s Summer League practices. The Nets have at least eight Summer League games on the schedule, including this California Classic and the upcoming Las Vegas portion.
The 6-foot-4 guard carries serious weight as Brooklyn’s highest draft pick since the franchise moved to Brooklyn. Before the back injury shut him down, he looked like a future star. Across 21 games at Louisville, Brown averaged 18.2 points and 4.7 assists while shooting 41 percent from the field, 34.4 percent from three and 84.4 percent from the line. The highlight: a 45-point eruption against NC State where he drained 10 three-pointers.
Brown isn’t the only Nets rookie fans are waiting on. Joshua Jefferson, the No. 28 pick, also sat out Saturday. He can’t play in Summer League until Brooklyn finalizes the Julius Randle trade. Jefferson will miss the rest of the California Classic but is expected to suit up in Las Vegas.
Tyler Bilodeau, the No. 43 pick out of UCLA, was the only Nets rookie available Saturday. He put up nine points and six rebounds in 24 minutes, shooting 4-of-6 from the field and 1-of-3 from deep. Bilodeau led all drafted players in three-point percentage last season at 46.4 percent.
Egor Demin led Brooklyn with 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting (2-of-8 from three), adding seven rebounds, one assist and two turnovers. Ben Saraf chipped in 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting with five boards. Drake Powell struggled, scoring four points on 0-of-9 from the field but grabbing eight rebounds. Danny Wolf sat out with lower back soreness.
The Nets will get their first real look at Brown on Monday. For a franchise that’s been hunting for a franchise cornerstone since the Kevin Durant era ended, his debut can’t come soon enough.
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