Nets Rookie Brown Jr. Will Sit Pacers Half of Back-To-Back

The Brooklyn Nets are already managing Mikel Brown Jr. early, as Jordi Fernández revealed the rookie will sit Sunday's game against the Indiana Pacers, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

Brown nursed a left ankle sprain in training camp, which limited him to one preseason appearance against the Miami Heat. His injury influenced Fernández's decision to bring him off the bench on a minutes restriction.

He played 20 minutes in the home opener against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday and Friday's road opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Brooklyn's first-round pick has struggled with efficiency, shooting 27.8% overall and 33.3% from three. The shooting struggles haven't impacted his confidence, as Brown has five rebounds, eight assists and two steals over the last two games.

Load management for a rookie is quite the head-scratcher. Fernández said he wants to be careful and not get too excited to hand him starter minutes out of the gate.

The minutes restriction can substitute for the rest Brooklyn wants to give Brown. He needs the reps to develop into the impact contributor they envision and break into the starting lineup.

During practices, Julius Randle complimented his high IQ in running the pick-and-roll. The 6-foot-5 guard can explode downhill and finish through contact or space out for a catch-and-shoot three.

Brooklyn needs that versatility, especially to start games strong rather than slow.

His absence in Sunday's game opens more minutes for second-year guard Ben Saraf. He hasn't appeared this season, with a logjam behind Egor Dëmin, Keon Ellis, Nolan Traoré and Brown.

Saraf needs to impress with his extended opportunity. The Nets have seven first-round picks on rookie-scale contracts from the past two drafts, and Saraf is part of the group.

He had a strong preseason against the Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers. Saraf scored eight points, grabbed two rebounds, and added two assists in a win over Charlotte, and five points, one rebound, and three assists in a win over Philadelphia.

It's one shot against a revamped Pacers squad with Tyrese Haliburton returning.

Fernández said Brown would be available against the Boston Celtics next Tuesday. The rookie will likely miss a couple more games over the next few weeks.

Brooklyn has back-to-backs against the Pacers next Sunday and the New York Knicks on Nov. 2. The next set features the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 7 and the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 8.