The Louisville standout brings elite playmaking and record-breaking scoring to Las Vegas, aiming to stabilize Brooklyn's turnover-heavy offense while proving the rebuilding Nets can shock the league.
After missing the Brooklyn Nets' first two summer league appearances, No. 6 overall pick Mikel Brown Jr. will make his highly-anticipated professional debut on Monday at 8:00 p.m. against the Golden State Warriors.
The Nets, who are currently 1-1 in summer league games, have done well to weather the storm without their top draft pick, but now should be close to full-strength.
Brown, who also missed games during his standout freshman season at Louisville, has said all the right things since being drafted, with his main focus being on winning.
At his introductory press conference, Brown talked about the relationships being formed with him and the rest of the roster, while saying that the team is looking to accelerate the rebuilding process.
"I was talking to Julius Randle about it the other day and he told me, 'We’re gonna shock the world,' Brown told media. "That’s what we plan on doing."
Of course, it may be a slow burn for the Nets' new-look roster to find continuity, with Randle being added this offseason, and Brown finding comfortability at the NBA level.
However, in the short-term, Brown will solve a lot of Brooklyn's summer league struggles thanks to his playmaking and offensive abilities.
On Monday, Roundtable's Josh Sloan noted one area of concern that Brown should help alleviate.
"The Nets committed 20 turnovers in their opener against Sacramento and followed that up with another turnover-heavy performance against the Bucks," Sloan wrote. "While Brooklyn's defense and rebounding have been among the team's biggest strengths through two games, consistently giving opponents extra possessions is something that will need to be cleaned up."
Brown excels on the ball, exploding to the rim with a quick first step and making the right read at the basket.
Once he gets in the paint, Brown can extend over longer defenders or make a secondary move mid-air.
From a playmaking perspective, Brown frequently displayed the ability to get his teammates open looks, while playing efficient in the turnover department.
Early in his freshman campaign, Brown had one of his best performances against then-ranked No. 9 Kentucky, dominating his program's main rival with a 29-point, 5-assist showing.
Brown turned the ball over just one time, while making 8-of-16 shot attempts and 10-of-11 free throws.
While his 3-of-10 shooting from distance was not his strongest showing, Brown is a high-level 3-point shooter, setting program records with his marksmanship.
In a 40-point blowout win over ACC-rival NC State, Brown tied a program-record with 45 points, shooting over 60-percent from the field and 3-point range.
Brown seemingly couldn't miss from deep, knocking down 10-of-16 long balls and knocking down all seven of his free throws.
His 45-point outburst tied Wes Unseld’s single-game scoring record in Louisville history.
Against Golden State, look for Brown to attack early and often to get acclimated after his missed time.
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