Fresh off a historic Louisville tenure, Mikel Brown Jr. brings his versatile playmaking and high-scoring pedigree to Brooklyn, determined to snap the franchise’s three-year playoff drought.
Mikel Brown Jr. played multiple roles for the Louisville Cardinals, all in an effort to maximize winning, and he wants to do the same for the Brooklyn Nets.
Brooklyn hasn't made the playoffs in the last three seasons. It has 78 wins throughout that span, including the third-worst record last year at 20-62.
The tanking efforts were successful, and granted the organization a 14.1% chance of winning the No. 1 pick and a 52.4% chance of a top-four pick. Luck did not work out in the Nets' favor, as they fell to the No. 6 pick, but not all was lost in a star-studded draft.
They drafted Brown, whom general manager Sean Marks and coach Jordi Fernández met with three times during the pre-draft process. The former Louisville guard could be the franchise's next lead guard, and he said he's ready to carry whatever burdens are necessary to win.
"Some things that I want Nets fans to know is that I'm all about winning," Brown told NBA legends Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady on the "Cousins" podcast. "Whether that's me scoring it, whether that's me playmaking, whether that's me being a leader, or if I have to be like all of them. Like, I've taken on that burden."
Injuries shortened his time with the Cardinals to 19 games, but he thrived as the program's No. 1 option. Brown averaged 18.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.2 steals in his freshman season.
He scored a career-high 45 points against North Carolina State on an efficient 14-for-23 shooting (10-for-16 from three). A historic night helped him tie Wes Unseld for the school record in points and Reyne Smith for three-pointers made in a single game.
Brown did credit some of his success in college to learning from NBA legend Rajon Rondo. He said Rondo's advice was to make the simple play, and when he keeps it simple, he'll always make the right play.
The 6-foot-5 guard recorded five or more assists in 10 games, including five straight games to start the season. His playmaking is, in fact, simple. He kicks to an open teammate when the defense rotates or collapses on his drives.
It's not flashy, but it's efficient and could turn Brooklyn's offense around. Shooters like Michael Porter Jr., Keon Ellis and Egor Dëmin surround Brown, and they would benefit from the open looks he'll generate for them.
Brown is at the center of an overhauled roster attempting to break a three-season losing streak and make it back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2022-23 season.
