The Brooklyn Nets came away from the 2026 NBA Draft with the unfortunate result of not only sliding down from the No. 3 pick that they started with, but ending up at No. 6. While Brooklyn was one of many teams hoping for the luck needed to get the No. 1 selection, they still have the chance to add an impact player who could be an interesting choice.
“They took a lot of guys [in 2025] who can handle and, to an extent, dribble, pass, shoot, but they didn’t necessarily find that one awesome lead guard, in my opinion, who will set this team up for success for the long term. That’s why this team should swing for the fences and take Mikel Brown Jr. out of Louisville,” Nathan Grubel on a recent Locked On NBA Draft podcast. Brown hasn’t been mocked to the Nets as of this writing, but that doesn’t mean he should be outside of consideration.
“The 6-foot-5 guard is electric. I don’t want to get anyone upset when I make this comparison…The best qualities of Mikel Brown Jr. remind me of LaMelo Ball,” Grubel continued. “You see all of those qualities from Mikel Brown at a 6-foot-5 frame. Plenty of room to grow, fill out, get stronger, has that electric juice as a lead ball-handler, as a shot-creator, as a shot-maker.
Once the Nets received the No. 6 pick in the 2026 draft, many of the mocks had them essentially selecting between Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr., Illinois guard Keaton Wagler, and Houston guard Kingston Flemings. While all of those players would be good choices for a Brooklyn team that is still in the early stages of its rebuild, Brown could be the kind of selection that could speed up the rebuild if he pans out as a prospect.
“Scouts remain very high on Mikel Brown Jr.’s combination of positional size, potent shooting, creativity and potential to play both backcourt spots,” Jonathan Wasserman wrote in his most recent mock draft after the conclusion of the Lottery. Brown finished the 2025-26 season having played in just 21 games for the Louisville Cardinals, but he still averaged 18.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 41.0% from the floor and 34.4% from three-point land.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Should the Nets consider taking Mikel Brown Jr. in the 2026 NBA Draft?