Brooklyn Nets guard Mikel Brown Jr. was one of the players who saw their stock rise over the course of the pre-draft process and that led him to being a member of the Nets. Brown, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, will be part of Brooklyn’s rotation, if not the starting point guard, and head coach Jordi Fernandez have his initial thoughts on Brown’s game.
“The way he moves, he’s explosive, but under control. How he shoots the ball, he can chest drive defensively, and then you get to talk to him, and he has a special energy,” Fernandez said of Brown during his ESPN interview at the Las Vegas Summer League. Brown has played well over the course of the summer circuit (California Classic and Las Vegas) and the good news is that he’s showing his head coach how ready he is for his role next season.
“He’s very smart. He’s a very sociable kid. He connects with people right away, and that’s what you want from a young leader right there,” Fernandez continued on Brown. “An incredible family. I think [general manager] Sean [Marks] and his group have always done a great job bringing in the right character. Character for us is very important, and Mikel just fits what we’re trying to do here.”
Through two games played in the summer circuit, Brown is averaging 15.0 points and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 43.5% from the field and 45.5% from behind the three-point line. Brown has averaged 20.6 minutes per game as the Nets’ medical staff is trying to manage his recovery from his back injury during the college basketball season, but he looks like he’s physically improving each time he steps on the floor.
Not only has Brown put forth good film thus far in the summer circuit, but he has shown some flashes of being the kind of player that can get people out of their seats when he gets going. Brown’s rookie season will likely include ups and downs as every player experiences, but at this moment, Fernandez is impressed with what he has seen thus far from the 20-year-old rookie.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets’ Jordi Fernandez gives initial thoughts on Mikel Brown Jr.
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire | USA TODAY Network
