July 22, 2026, 5:52 p.m. ET

Brooklyn Nets rookie Mikel Brown Jr. had some understandable hype coming into the 2026 NBA Las Vegas Summer League after being selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Brown did not touch the floor for Brooklyn in summer league play until their last game of the California Classic, but he found his groove in Las Vegas and others are taking notice.

“Despite making just three appearances in Las Vegas, No. 6 pick Mikel Brown Jr. had the summer circuit looking a lot like his roller-coaster ride at Louisville. Or, that’s the story on the stat sheet, at least,” Zach Buckley wrote for Bleacher Report when giving his overview of Brown’s play. Buckley gave Brown an A- for his performance in Las Vegas and it’s easy to see why after reviewing his tape.

“There, he delivered both impressive highs (20 points on 50/50/100 shooting in his Vegas debut) and worrisome lows (14 points on 15 shots in his finale),” Buckley continued. “That said, his lone hiccup had as much to do with hyperphysical defense from the Houston Rockets as anything else, so it feels fair giving more credence to the good than the bad. Especially when Brown’s good was so easy on the eyes.”

Brown, 20, averaged 16.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 39.5% from the field and 33.3% from behind the three-point line over his three appearances. Brown’s best game of the Las Vegas Summer League was his first one when he put up 20 points, three assists, and two steals in 22 minutes against the New York Knicks.

Brown did not play in two of Brooklyn’s five games in Las Vegas and the game against the Atlanta Hawks on July 11 was likely the team trying to manage his body after dealing with a back injury during his freshman season with the Louisville Cardinals. Brown showed plenty during his time in Las Vegas and he played so well for his first time seeing NBA-level competition that others are taking notice of his ability as well.

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