Nets rookie Mikel Brown Jr. made his preseason debut on Wednesday night and showed why the team believed he was worthy of the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Logging just 18 minutes off the bench against the Miami Heat, Brown scored 15 points (4-for-7 shooting, including 2-for-5 from three) with three rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one turnover. He was also a perfect 5-for-5 from the foul line.
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Brown, who shot 34.4 percent from deep across 21 games at Louisville, buried his first shot (a three-pointer) of the game in the first quarter and finished the first half with five points in eight minutes.
He kept it going in the second half, making his second three-pointer from well beyond the arc with the clock winding down in the third quarter. Later on with the team down 112-103 in the fourth quarter, Brown showed off his athleticism by getting a steal and going the distance for an easy two-handed slam.
Brooklyn ended up falling to Miami, 144-128, for their first loss of the preseason (3-1).
The rookie had missed the team’s first three preseason games due to a left sprained ankle and was limited in training camp, but practiced fully over the weekend and participated in a 5-on-5 scrimmage Monday, per the New York Post’s Brian Lewis.
Now with his feet wet, Brown and the Nets will prepare for the first regular season game in a week against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
