The Networks and Mikel Brown Jr both know how integral the point guard will be to the team’s efforts to climb out of the bottom tier of NBA teams, but both sides will have to wait to see the experiment in full swing.
Brown has been limited in training camp because of a sprained left ankle he suffered last week, CJ Holmes writes for the New York Daily News. Meanwhile, he did light work and tried to absorb as much as possible.
“He did contactless. He is in a good mood. He is practicing“, head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “He studies what’s going on, gets the reps he can.”
His veterans noticed how hard he worked to get on the court and were impressed by his concentration, Holmes wrote. In the meantime, he’s focused on conditioning so he can hit the ground running when he’s healthy.
“I do my best to get back on the floor and I’m back on the floor shooting and moving a little” said Brown.It’s going well. I progressed very quickly.»
Brown missed much of his only college year with a back injury, so getting as many reps as possible before the season starts will be beneficial for him to learn the finer points of the NBA point guard game.
We have more from the Nets:
- Michael Porter Jr He had a strong individual season for the Nets last year, but with the possibility of an extension in mind, he knows that just putting up numbers won’t be good enough, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “There is always something to show” said Porter.The main thing is victory. Who cares about scoring 20+ points a game if you don’t win? So I think I have a lot more to show and prove.” General manager Sean Marks hinted at how he can convince the team that he belongs in their long-term plans. “We’re looking for sequences from (Porter). We’re looking for him to take another step defensively, rebounding.” – said Marks. “So become a more complete player on the court. The second thing is what you can do (in terms of) intangibles. That’s important for us in the locker room.”
- After going from a championship hopeful to a hopefully promising squad, Julius Randle looks forward to building a strong relationship with Fernandez, Lewis writes. “I love being coached and there are different ways he challenges me in certain parts of the game, whether it’s my rebounding, whether it’s running the floor, or when I’m better on defenseRandle said.I’m not afraid to be coached and whatever he has to do, you have to coach your best players the hardest. If he needs anything from me, he will call me. So it’s a great relationship. But the main thing is communication and trust. So he’s been great with me and I trust him completely; so that was good.” Fernandez also expressed his joy at having such a talented, versatile player to help elevate the rest of the roster, as he did for the Knicks when he signed with them in 2019.
- Nolan Traore put together a solid rookie season for the Nets after being drafted 19th overall in 2025. As a 19-year-old, he averaged 8.9 points and 3.8 assists in 22.2 minutes per game while starting 31 of 56 games. He missed this year’s Summer League as he recovers from arthroscopic surgery, and his place in the team hierarchy is less certain after the additions made in the offseason, but his development remains critical to the team’s continued growth. Lewis writes in a separate work. In order to take the next step forward, he focused on improving his mount and adding strength so he could be a better finisher. “Now instead of going around the players like I did, I’ll maybe look at them a little bit more and be able to absorb the contact a lot more than last year” said the guard, who was one of the worst in the league last year.So of course it will help me.Fernandez seemed unfazed by Traore’s rookie struggles and is confident he will look a more developed player this season.
- The Nets didn’t a sign Moritz Wagner on a two-year replacement deal Nick Claxtonrim protection, but they hope it can be a different type of protection, according to Lewis. The scheme the Nets run should allow him to use his skill set more than Magic, and he’s more than happy for the task. “I love it. I want to be disruptive. I want to be active on the ball.” – said Wagner. “… I’m not a blocker. I participate in the throws and give it my all, but no Anthony Davis. I’m not going to beat people at the rim. So I like to be aggressive early and I want to be disruptive and be able to make people step up and take charge and stuff like that. So, I’m actually really excited about this stuff because it plays a little bit more to my strength.”
