Nets Projected to Land Mikel Brown Jr. in Mock Draft

The Brooklyn Nets are projected to land Mikel Brown Jr. in a mock draft.

Feb 7, 2026; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Mikel Brown Jr. (0) goes to the basket against Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Sebastian Akins (10) during the second half at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

At this point in the season, the main concern among Brooklyn Nets fans is the lottery odds they'll have at season's end.

Many among the fanbase have gone back and forth about whether they'd want Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, or Caleb Wilson, with a few perhaps sold on Kingston Flemings as a consolation prize.

However, there's a chance the Nets end up with a completely different player. If the Nets fall to the No. 7 spot in the draft, the franchise could end up selecting Mikel Brown Jr., Sports Illustrated's Derek Parker writes.

"Brooklyn seems to be slightly better than the other teams positioning themselves for the draft, but won’t need to do much to join the upper ranks," Parker wrote. "Here they land the No. 7 pick, grabbing a nice stylistic fit in lead guard Mikel Brown Jr.

"The Louisville product is having a tough season from an efficiency and decision-making standpoint, but still offers one of the top pure talents in the class with size, shooting and passing — all things Brooklyn searched for at the ’25 draft.

"If Brown can see some productive outings down the stretch of ACC play and into the NCAA tournament, he’s sure to be a top-10 lock on talent and potential alone. The Nets are sure to be patient as they move through this rebuild, making a gamble on Brown easier."

To Parker's point, Brown brings a lot of the values the Nets are looking for at the guard position, but similar to Egor Demin, the 6-foot-5 guard might be a prospect that is slower to develop than any of the guys who are projected to go in the top four of this draft.

With the Nets in desperate need of a future face of the franchise, Brown may not be the most attractive name on the board, but he has all the tools to be an effective shooter at the next level, which could help stretch the floor next to Demin and Nolan Traore.

To truly reach his potential at the next level, though, Brown will need to improve his ability to finish at the rim through contact.

Brown also possesses a lot of defensive tools that are sure to attract Nets coach Jordi Fernandez's attention, given his quick hands, ability to make quick rotations, cut off drives, and create turnovers by being a menace in the passing lanes.