LAS VEGAS — Mikel Brown Jr. heard what they said about him before the draft. That he couldn’t guard. That he’d struggle with physicality. That he wasn’t ready for the NBA’s speed. He didn’t just remember it. He used it.
After the Brooklyn Nets demolished the Sacramento Kings 115-83 in Summer League action, the 20-year-old guard didn’t hold back when asked about the pre-draft critiques.
“Coming into the draft, people were like, ‘his defense, can he deal with physicality, can he guard at a high level?’ Where I come from, man, if you’re the one getting picked on, you’re not supposed to be on the court,” Brown Jr. said at the Thomas & Mack Center. “So, that’s just my mentality going into every single game. Whoever I’m guarding, knowing their tendencies, making them play toward their weakness.”
That mindset isn’t new for the Orlando native. But it fits perfectly in Brooklyn, a borough that already claims Knicks guard Jose Alvarado as its own. Brown Jr. is of Puerto Rican descent, and the Nets made him the third player from that background selected in the top 10 of an NBA draft. He follows a path that includes Alvarado and, fittingly, another guard with a chip on his shoulder.
A backcourt built on aggression
The Nets have picked seven first-rounders over the last two drafts. The plan is clear: build around Brown Jr. and Egor Dëmin as the long-term starting backcourt. Dëmin, who’s looked sharp in his second Summer League run, told reporters he’s excited to play alongside Brown Jr. and even gave a nod to the “Aura Bros” nickname fans have started throwing around online.
When ClutchPoints asked Brown Jr. about the pressure of being a franchise cornerstone, he didn’t dodge it. But he made it clear the only expectations that matter are the ones he and Dëmin set for themselves.
“Yeah, it’s the expectation that we ourselves hold ourselves to,” said the sixth overall pick. “My job is to make it easier on him. His job is to make it easier on me. Just having that same mentality, in terms of us being ultra-aggressive. But also us making plays for others.”
He wasn’t just talking. Brown Jr. wouldn’t name specific players or teams he studied during the 2026 NBA Playoffs. He said he only cares about winning games as a Net. And he made sure to correct any notion that Brooklyn’s future is just about two guys.
“It’s not a two-man show,” Brown Jr. said. “This is a team effort at the end of the day. So, just really rallying the team together and pulling out wins.”
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