Mikel Brown Jr. faces an early setback after rolling his ankle last week. The Nets now aim to manage their potential franchise cornerstone ahead of preseason tip-off.
Mikel Brown Jr.'s training camp is off to a rocky start, nursing a left ankle sprain, according to ClutchPoints' Erik Slater on Tuesday.
General manager Sean Marks told reporters Brown rolled his ankle last week and isn't expected to miss "considerable time" at Brooklyn Nets media day on Monday.
It's a positive update, and Brooklyn will likely manage him in the preseason to minimize re-aggravation. The Nets open their preseason against the Charlotte Hornets next week.
Brown did have injury concerns coming out of Louisville. He dealt with lingering lower back issues for most of his freshman season, playing 18 games for the Cardinals.
The Louisville alumnus sustained the injury last December in the team’s 99-73 win over the Memphis Tigers.
It sidelined him for eight games, and he returned on Jan. 24 against the Virginia Tech Hokies. Brown bounced back, scoring 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting, dishing six assists and grabbing three rebounds.
He returned strong, but the back injury still lingered and led to some of his worst performances. Louisville’s No. 1 option scored seven points, six and 12 in three of his next four games.
Brown vented to his mentor, Rajon Rondo, about his plummeting confidence at his house. Rondo told him to make the “simple plays,” believing if he did, he’d make the right play.
His advice fueled a career night against the NC State Wolfpack.
He tied program legends with a career-high 45-point performance against NC State on Feb. 9. Brown tied Wes Unseld's school record in points, and Reyne Smith's three-pointers made in a single game, shooting 10-for-16 from beyond the arc.
Brown’s confidence grew after a career-high night until he re-aggravated his lower back injury on a hard fall against the then-No. 18 North Carolina Tar Heels.
The re-aggravation sidelined him for the ACC and NCAA Tournaments.
Draft scouts flagged his health in the pre-draft process until his doctors cleared him.
Brooklyn met with Brown three times before Day 1 of the draft and built a strong relationship with the lottery pick. Marks drafted him sixth overall, adding a player he believes can be a franchise cornerstone.
Brown will likely assume the starting point guard role as a rookie, forming a formidable young backcourt with second-year guard Egor Dëmin, who is his “Aura Bro.”
His left ankle sprain is a minor setback and something to monitor before Brooklyn’s road opener against Charlotte on Oct. 21.
