Recent NBA Talents Similar to Nets' Mikel Brown Jr. Coming Out of College

The Brooklyn Nets selected Mikel Brown Jr. with the sixth pick in the 2026 NBA Draft Tuesday night. He's the highest draft pick for the organization since 2010, when they selected Derrick Favors with the third pick, and the highest guard taken since selecting Kenny Anderson with the second pick in 1991.

Brown brings the Nets exactly what they need with his combination of scoring and playmaking –– along with defensive upside. He's not the most unique prospect, but that makes him fairly projectable. Brown has a 6-foot-5 frame and 6-foot-8 wingspan, at 190 pounds. He averaged 18.2 points, 4.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game on 41% field goal shooting and 34.4% three-point shooting.

There were many players from the 2025 NBA Draft class with similar final college seasons as him that make his potential production as a rookie measurable.

Dylan Harper

Final college season stats: 19.4 Pts, 4.6 Reb, 4.0 Ast, 1.4 Stl, 48.4% FG, 33.3% 3FG

Rookie season stats: 11.8 Pts, 3.9 Ast, 3.4 Reb, 0.8 Stl, 50.5% FG, 34.3% 3FG

Harper was the highest pick among the three players who had similar college stats and play styles to Brown. His raw stats may not have been representative of a No. 2 pick, but it wasn't the typical situation for a top pick.

Brown's stats may exceed those that Harper put forth as a rookie, but his impact probably won't compare. The most projectable skill that Brown could take from Harper is his playmaking. Harper had to play alongside Stephon Castle and De'Aaron Fox, much like Brown is going to have to share ball handling duties with Egor Dëmin.

Kam Jones

Final college season stats: 19.2 Pts, 5.9 Ast, 4.5 Reb, 1.4 Stl, 48.3% FG, 31.1% 3FG

Rookie season stats: 4.4 Pts, 3.2 Ast, 1.6 Reb, 0.5 Stl, 40.2% FG, 29.3% 3FG

The Nets have the opportunity to give Brown much more responsibility than any of these players had when they came into the league. Jones was a second-round pick and only played in 37 games for an injury-riddled Indiana Pacers team.

The aspect of Jones' game that could be similar to Brown's lies in their passing. Jones averaged more than seven assists per game in per-36 stats. Brown is set up to have the usage to exceed his college assist numbers.

Nique Clifford

Final college season stats: 18.9 Pts, 9.6 Reb, 4.4 Ast, 1.2 Stl, 49.6% FG, 37.7% 3FG

Rookie season stats: 8.6 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 2.4 Ast, 0.9 Stl, 41.8% FG, 33.3% 3FG

Clifford might be the most comparable player from the 2025 class based on how his transition went from college to the NBA. He stands 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan at a lighter 175 pounds.

The thing that makes this comparison potentially accurate is their situations. Clifford got a lot of free rein on a bad Sacramento Kings team, especially in the latter half of the season. Brown will likely take on even more responsibilities early on, but the assist numbers and efficiency splits are easy to see being similar to Clifford's rookie output.

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