Brooklyn Nets are taking it slow with Mikel Brown Jr. ankle injury

Patience is a rare currency in NBA training camps. Yet, at HSS Training Center in Sunset Park, the Brooklyn Nets have plenty of it when it comes to Mikel Brown Jr.

The sixth overall pick rolled his left ankle working out before the start of camp. On Media Day, Sean Marks mentioned that he isn’t expecting him to miss “considerable time at all.” That’s a sigh of relief compared to September 2025, when the Nets revealed that eighth overall pick Egor Demin would miss time due to a left plantar fascia tear that at one point had put him in a wheelchair.

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As for Brown Jr., it’s becoming obvious the 20-year-old is very eager to get on the floor, but as he continues his recovery, the Nets’ performance team is taking a cautious approach. He has resumed light on-court work, but he hasn’t been cleared for full-contact work as Brooklyn prepares for its preseason opener against Charlotte on Tuesday.

“Yeah, as of right now they’re just telling me you could get back moving a little bit, really just trying to get the strengthening it up back,” Brown said at Thursday’s practice. “I mean, I am back on the court moving. That’s all I’m really worried about right now. I’m just taking it one step at a time.”

For any rookie, the mental adjustment to rehab is often harder than the physical one. The organization hasn’t provided a firm timetable for his debut. Brown Jr. acknowledged the learning curve required to yield to the medical staff – something worth getting used to in Brooklyn.

“I feel like I have no choice but to be patient,” Brown Jr. said. “I want to be out there so bad, but they’ve just been emphasizing to me, ‘Let’s take our time with this stuff and get you back 100 percent,’ which me, I’m trying to play as soon as possible. So really just attacking this rehab, focusing on stuff that I can control.”

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The real games don’t begin until October 21 with preseason games beginning next Tuesday and running through October 14. The Nets aren’t going to risk Brown Jr. getting more injured over practice — whether he likes it or not. But this will also be Brooklyn’s second preseason in which its highest-drafted…

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Publish date : 2026-10-02 14:54:00

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