Mikel Brown Jr. Ready for Nets Debut, Fueled by Low Expectations
The No. 6 draft pick aims to prove critics wrong in his highly anticipated first NBA game.
Rookie Mikel Brown Jr., the central figure in the Brooklyn Nets' rebuilding efforts, is slated to make his NBA debut in Wednesday's season opener against the Charlotte Hornets. The Nets and their No. 6 draft pick are aware of the widespread expectation that the team will struggle this season, a perception they intend to use as motivation.
"Yeah, absolutely," Brown said when asked if the low expectations serve as fuel. "But at the end of the day, man, we focus on ourselves right now, focusing on getting better. Like I said before, every game we have something to prove. So that’s the mentality going into it."
Brown missed the first three preseason games due to a rolled left ankle but played in the final preseason matchup against the Miami Heat with a minutes restriction. In that game, he recorded 18 points, three assists, three rebounds, and two steals over 18 minutes.
Head coach Jordi Fernández has previously indicated that players with fewer than 24 minutes of availability might not be considered starters. He has not yet confirmed if Brown's minutes limit will be adjusted for the season opener. Keon Ellis has started at off-guard in all preseason games, with Egor Dëmin playing point guard. Ellis emphasized the importance of role consistency for team rhythm.
"Oh, absolutely. Just because it comes down, it helps everything," Ellis stated. "When you’re going in the game, if you’re starting, if you’re coming off the bench — which to me that doesn’t really mean a lot — but the consistency of knowing where you’re going to play, who you’re going in the game with, the rhythm that you guys have, that all matters."
Joshua Jefferson, the Nets' other first-round pick from June, has been cleared for the opener after missing the entire preseason. His playing time is expected to be more limited than Brown's.
"A player that hasn’t played a game yet would be, because once again, if you haven’t played a preseason game and then you put your body out there into a real NBA game, I don’t think it would be fair for him to play crazy amount of stints or minutes," Fernández explained. "So yeah, we always take care of our … I’m not going to tell you if he is or how many minutes are, but we always take care of their bodies."