So how we feeling? Better, it seems, than we did 1) at the end of the season; 2) after the Lottery; 3) when the Canyon of Heroes was filled with orange and blue.
It wasn’t just the trade for Julius Randle, the selection of Micbael Brown Jr. (and Joshua Jefferson) in the first round or the possibilities ahead. At its simplest, it’s the feeling that it’s been down so long, it looks like up to me. The fan base, fickle as it is, seems energized by recent events. Screw all those pundits and Knick fans who think the franchise should fold, return to the swamps of Jersey or relocate in Seattle! We are home in Brooklyn, New York, and plan to say … as MBJ might say. Be Brooklyn!
Yeah, yeah, they have a very long way to go. Things can go wrong, etc. Bad luck from KD’s foot on the line to injuries at critical moments to bad lottery luck are all part of the Nets fan experience, but for the moment, at least, it’s best to be optimistic. And luck can change.
Brown of course is the biggest part of the good feelings around Barclays Center and the HSS Training Center and the Brooklyn Basketball Training Center where he will be introduced to the media along with Jefferson and second round pick Tyler Bilodeau Monday afternoon.
The kid is refreshing in his comments and in his game. He, too, has a long way to go. He’s still on the smaller side and he understands that. He still needs to take care of the ball better. He needs to show his back injury is behind him.
Yes, he loves being in Brooklyn, but playing in New York is a challenge for even the strongest of personalities. But Sean Marks & co. think that he can become something special and indeed, at the moment, Christopher Mikel Brown Jr. son of Christopher Mikel Brown Sr. and Marisella Brown-Caraballo, at age 20 is the face of the franchise until otherwise notified.
So, let’s delve a little more into his history, starting with a three-part YouTube video that seems to have escaped a lot of attention in the build-up to the Draft. It deals with his rise from being undersized (5’10”) and under appreciated to his decisions to join Adidas and Louisville two years back. In includes interviews with him, his mother and father who also served as a coach growing up. Appropriately, it’s entitled, “The Point of It All.”
Brown’s father is the co-star, it should be noted and Coach Chris Brown takes no prisoners, is quick to defend his son as he did when Louisville fans came after ‘Kel. Then when his son got taken in the Draft, he was prepared with receipts…
And what did father say to son when his name got called? “what are they going to say now?!”
Brown Jr. also got the Steve Serby treatment this week. Serby, a New York Post writer famous for his lengthy interviews with sports figures, spoke with Brown this week. The headline is simple: Asked, “What do you think you’re capable of?” he responded “Being one of the all-time greats.”
Here’s some other sample Q. and A.
Q: Your general manager (Sean Marks) said that you have a chip on your shoulder, tell me why.
A: Just because at the end of the day there’s people selected over me. So that just drives me every single day. I’m self-driven to be the best version of myself. So that means I have a chip on my shoulder wherever I go.
Q: You’re going to have a natural rivalry with Darius Acuff. What are your thoughts on that?
A: Basketball nowadays, that rivalry brings along a lot of fans, and more people want to watch and it’s competitive. We know we’re going to see each other for the rest of our lives, so buckle up.
Q: Describe your on-court mentality.
A: Passionate, competitive, me being a dawg and also just me being able to create for others, like being a connector as well.
Q: I’m getting the feeling that you see yourself as a killer or an assassin on the court? Am I right?
A: Yes.
Q: Why don’t you feel pressure?
A: Because I hold myself to a certain expectation that I expect to hit every single time just because I know how much work I’ve put in.
Q: If you could build the perfect point guard, what would you take from Mikel Brown Jr.?
A: We would take his ability to create scoring opportunities for himself and others.
Q: Why would I enjoy playing with you?
A: Just because I’m always for my teammates, I’m always about making other guys better around me, putting them in the right positions to whether that’s score, defensively, just constantly communicating with them. And I also think I’m a great teammate as well, very personable, I want to get to know you because that transmits to on the court as well so now you got the true trust in you that you know what you’re doing.
Heady stuff, obviously, and if he doesn’t perform, those words will be thrown at him by media, fans, maybe even coaches. But that’s the way it goes in New York City and the NBA.
About that rivalry with Acuff, taken at No. 7, it goes back to high school. Their most recent encounter came in December when Louisville faced off against Arkansas…
As our Collin Helwig noted this week, there will be two more confrontations next month, the first in Sacramento on July 4 at 5:00 p.m. ET, the second in Las Vegas on July 14 at 6:00 p.m. ET. Both will be televised. All three of Brooklyn’s games in Sacramento will be televised on the YES Network/Gotham Sports Net, while the Vegas games will be split between ESPN, ESPN U, and Amazon Prime. More details on Vegas TV schedule soon.
Busy week ahead
—Monday, June 29: Sean Marks will introduce the three draft picks to the media at the Brooklyn Basketball Training Center. We might also see the Summer League roster released and the identity of the head coach revealed. More news: Day’Ron Sharpe whose team option must be exercised. MPJ’s 28th birthday.
—Tuesday, June 30: the Summer League team will hold its first practice at HSS Training Center in Brooklyn. Teams can contact free agents.
—Wednesday, July 1: another Summer League practice in Brooklyn after which the team will depart for Sacramento and the California Classic. Two-way contracts can be signed.
—Thursday, July 2: Summer League team in Sacramento
—Friday, July 3: The Summer League team holds practice in Sacramento.
—Saturday, July 4: Happy 250th birthday USA! Nets Summer League team faces the Kings at 5:00 p.m. ET. Mikel Brown Jr. vs. Darius Acuff. See below for details.
—Sunday, July 5: Nets Summer League team faces the Bucks at 3:00 p.m. ET. Mikel Bridges vs. Nate Ament.
—Monday, July 6: Teams can sign free agents and trades become official, including the exchange of Nic Claxton for Julius Randle, which likely will have been expanded.
Every picture tells a story, story
A lot of Nets fans have been posting variants of this picture in recent days:
First of all, how tall is that guy on the right?? Has he grown beyond the 6’9.5″ he was measured at in sneakers a year ago? Lots of suggestions that he has.
Beyond that, however, there’s something quite important about the image of the 20-year-olds. They are the two highest Nets draft picks in 16 years: Michael Brown Jr. at No. 6 last week and Egor Demin at No. 8 last year. And neither of those picks would have been available to Brooklyn if they hadn’t exchanged picks with the Rockets on June 25, 2024, the companion to the Mikal Bridges trade with the Knicks that same night. The Nets had lost those picks in the James Harden trade and if they were going to rebuild properly, they wanted control of their picks in two generational drafts.
So far, it’s worked out. It might’ve worked better if the Nets had better luck in the two lotteries but the Nets are happy with both Demin and Brown.
To get those two picks back, the Nets gave up two Phoenix Suns pick acquired in the 2023 Kevin Durant trade: last year’s first which turned into Khaman Maluach, next year’s Suns first plus — take your time to read this: the swap rights to the two most favorable of the Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets 1st round picks in 2029. Brooklyn will retain the least favorable of the first round draft picks that draft. (No, despite the shorthand favored by some, the Nets didn’t trade four firsts for two and none of the assets Sean Marks & co. gave up that night were Brooklyn’s own picks. They were all picks from the trades of James Harden, Kyrie Irving and KD.)
Because they got all those Knicks picks for Mikal Bridges that same night, the Nets hedged their bets and if things don’t work out with the 2025 and 2026 firsts they still have those unprotected Knicks firsts in 2027, 2029 and 2031 plus a first round swap with the Knicks (and one with the Suns as well) in 2028. They also retain their own firsts picks in each of drafts between 2027 and 2033 and have the Sixers’ first in 2028, 1-8 protected. Yes, they also have the Nuggets first in 2032 from the Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson trade
Moreover, the 2027 Draft is viewed as historically bad and 2028 not a particularly good one. Too early to tell about 2029. We wrote about the June 25, 2024 trades a few months back laying it all out.
Draft Sleeper of the Week
How’d we do? Okay. We profiled both Brown and Jefferson in previous Off-Season Reports. We missed on Tyler Bilodeau. He was a real sleeper. Most mocks didn’t have him at all, although ESPN’s last mock had him at No. 60, long after where the Nets took him at No. 43.
Two-Way Contracts, etc.
Last season, the Nets signed two two-way deals early, inking Tyson Etienne and E.J. Liddell in the summer, then waiting till Christmas to get Chaney Johnson under contract. Starting Wednesday, teams can sign this season’s two ways and two spots are already spoken for: Johnson will be back. The Nets tendered him a two-way qualifying offer this week and Tyler Bilodeau, the Nets second round pick, is also reportedly destined for Long Island. The third pick? Doubt we’ll have to wait as long as we did last season to learn his identity.
Two-ways make half the basic vets minimum or about $650,000. Players can be active for a maximum of 50 NBA regular-season games before they must be converted to a standard deal or waived. The deals do not count against the cap.
Also as we’ve noted, the Nets are signing three players to Exhibit 10s. Brian Lewis reported that the Nets had signed Dion Brown a 6’3” guard who most recently played for St. Louis University and Jon Chepkevich of Draft Express reported Ben Humrichous, a 6’9” combo forward who came off the bench for Illinois last year. Finally, Dylan Johnson of The Villanovan, the student newspaper, reported 6’10” Wildcat center Duke Brennan will be joining the Nets starting with Summer League next month. Signing an Exhibit 10 means both will likely spent the majority of the 2026-27 season in Long Island following training camp in Brooklyn. If they stay 60 days in the G League, they can pick up a signing bonus worth as much as $77,000.
Final Note
We’ve seen a number of pundits list the Nets as among those teams interested in free agents and trade targets, from Keon Ellis to Rui Hachimura to the big one, Jaylen Brown. Teams can start talking to free agents startinon Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. ET. Expect news before then.
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