What should the Nets expect from Mikel Brown Jr., Joshua Jefferson?
· Yahoo Sports
The Brooklyn Nets came into the 2026 NBA Draft armed with two first-round picks, just one year after they used five selections in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. Brooklyn used those two first-round picks on guard Mikel Brown Jr. and forward Joshua Jefferson, but with training camp beginning on Tuesday, what can the Nets expect from their first-round rookies?
"At the draft, the Nets picked Mikel Brown Jr. with their initial first-round pick. Brown is raw, but he’s overflowing with potential," Keith Smith wrote of Brown for Spotrac. Smith was giving his summary of all five teams in the Atlantic division and for the Nets, he hit on all of the key storylines this season, including the outlook for their rookies in the 2026 class.
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"It might take a few years for him to fully settle in, but Brown has a ton of scoring ability and should develop into at least a solid secondary playmaker," Smith continued on Brown. Brown has a chance to earn the starting point guard job before the regular season begins, but he will have to beat out Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf for that honor. Jefferson seems to also have an interesting opportunity heading into this campaign.
"Joshua Jefferson was selected with the latter first-round pick. If Jefferson can put it together, he’s got the kind of game that profiles as a solid backup big," Smith wrote on Jefferson. "There’s some passing ability here too. Ultimately, if Jefferson makes it or not will come down to the development of his jumper and if he can hold up defensively."
As it stands right now, Jefferson has more of a mountain to climb to not only get playing time within head coach Jordi Fernandez's rotation, but to also gain a spot within said rotation. Brown has some hype surrounding him after what he did during his freshman year at the University of Louisville and once Tuesday comes around, the Nets fanbase will know what each first-round rookie looks like in the early going.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: What should the Nets expect from Mikel Brown Jr., Joshua Jefferson?