Mikel Brown Jr. finally got on the floor for Brooklyn on Monday, and it took him about three seconds to remind everyone why the Nets tanked for two years to get him.
The No. 6 pick out of Louisville made his Summer League debut against Golden State’s Blue squad and immediately looked like the most talented guy on the court. The final score was 100-79 Nets, and Brown’s stat line was solid but not gaudy: 11 points and 4 assists on 4-of-11 shooting in 19 minutes. But numbers don’t tell the story here.
He played like a guy who already knew he belonged.
On his very first touch, Brown came off a dribble handoff, attacked the paint and kicked it to fellow rookie Tyler Bilodeau for a wide-open three. A few possessions later, he read the defense cheating and cut backdoor, then hit Bilodeau with a wraparound pass for another triple. By the end of the first half, he had whipped a spin move into a fading pass to Bilodeau for his third three of the night. The chemistry between those two rookies was immediate and obvious.
Brown also showed off the shooting that made him a top pick. He knocked down a corner three off a kickout from Egor Demin for his first NBA bucket, then later drilled a stepback three in transition. Demin and Brown are the two prizes from Brooklyn’s rebuild, and they’re already talking about how to play off each other.
“Shoutout to Egor for finding me,” Brown said. “Me and him talked about that. We were going to kind of play off of each other and find each other and get each other open shots.”
Coaches Loved What They Saw on Defense
Nets summer league coach Dutch Gaitley was especially impressed with something Brown isn’t really known for: playing defense with real effort.
“He’s obviously electric. He showed his ability to get downhill,” Gaitley told YES Network. “I’m really impressed with his defense. He’s giving great effort. It’s something he’s not known for. He’s known for off-the-dribble shooting, his ability to get in the paint. But I was impressed with his ability to compete defensively and try to execute our staples.”
Brown missed the second half of his freshman season at Louisville with a back injury, so Monday was his first real game action since February. He sat out Brooklyn’s first two Summer League games in Sacramento, and by the time he got his shot, he was ready to let some frustration out.
“I wasn’t even anxious; I was just like fuming,” Brown said. “It was kind of like a fire being lit. I was just ready to hoop, man.”
He also said the coaching staff gave him simple advice: just be yourself. Gaitley and assistant Jay Hernandez told him to go out there and make plays. So that’s what he did.
Brown will get his next run on Friday when the Nets open Las Vegas Summer League against the Knicks. That one should draw a crowd. If this debut was any indication, the Nets might finally have the homegrown star their fans have been waiting for.
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