Opening night — October 21 vs. the Charlotte Hornets — is still six weeks away and the internet is filled with hope, tempered by widespread predictions of calamity and doom, but one thing is certain and is likely to be throughout the season — Mikal Brown Jr. along with Egor Demin are the focus of the organization, whether it be basketball operations or marketing.
Julius Randle may be a three-time All-Star and a two-time All-NBA selection. Michael Porter Jr. may be coming off his best season in his seven-year career and their only player with a ring. But for better or worse, they are viewed as mercenaries, short-termers. The kids, leaders of a band of nine players 23 or younger, are the franchise future, promoted by the organization across social media and by fans as well.
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We don’t know the source of this piece of art but it’s typical.
Sounds risky to the fan psyche so when someone from the outside says Nets fans should be “really, really, really excited” and compares his mindset to a future Hall of Famer, it’s time to take notice. Brian Lewis did just that this week when quoting Donovan Mitchell’s comments to Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter on their Cousins podcast.
A fellow Louisville product, Mitchell talked about Brown Jr.’s curiosity even in high school and how it shows in his basketball IQ . Here’s his full take.
“What I love about Mikel is there are not many high school kids that pay attention to the details,” Mitchell said. “I’m having a conversation with him like I’m talking to James Harden. I’m sitting here like, ‘Bro, how old are you?’ He’s like, ‘I’m 16, 17.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ He’s asking about the low man, he’s asking about strong-side help, he’s asking about the gap help, he’s asking about pickups. … That’s one thing I really respected about him. He was like, ‘Man, I want to work. I just want to work.’
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“And even when he got to Louisville — and he obviously got paid a lot of money and all — the process mentally, the phone calls never changed. It was always like, ‘I want to be the best I can possibly be.’ And obviously a phenomenal kid, phenomenal family. But that’s…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/mikel-brown-gets-kudos-those-222733784.html
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Publish date : 2026-09-10 22:27:00
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