Patience defines the Nets’ plans as they prepare Mikel Brown Jr. for a full NBA workload, writes Howie Kussoy of The New York Post. After being slowed by an ankle injury in the preseason, the rookie guard has been placed on a minutes limit and played 20 minutes off the bench in the team’s first game. Coach Jordi Fernandez indicated that pattern is expected to last for a while.

“It’s how it is until we change it, and right now we know the sample size is going to be way bigger,” Fernandez said after Friday’s practice. “It’s not just, ‘Oh, one game, he’s good to go.’ … I mean, if you guys think about it, he played (21 games last season). This season is 82, right? Is he gonna play all 82? No. We feel like he can take steps. Obviously, at some point he’ll be able to play more games and be able to play back to backs, but it’s not right now or anytime soon.” 

Brown saw 20 more minutes in Saturday’s game at Cleveland, which means he’ll likely sit out Sunday against Indiana, Kussoy adds. He got to compete against Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell, a fellow Louisville alumnus who has served as a mentor to Brown for several years. Mitchell believes he’ll have a bright NBA future, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post.

“Not many high school kids pay attention to the details. I’m having conversations with (Brown) like I’m talking to James Harden,” Mitchell said. “He’s going to do amazing things in Brooklyn. Nets fans should be really excited, because they got one.” 

There’s more on the Nets:

• Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf, all first-round picks in 2025, stayed on the bench throughout the opening-night loss to Charlotte, C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News observes in a subscriber-only story. Fernandez wants to build continuity with his current rotation, so any chances for the second-year players may have to wait.
• The Nets hope to run more often this season, but they have to rebound better to make that strategy work, Holmes states in a separate story. They gave up 15 offensive rebounds to the Hornets, who had a 20-8 edge in second-chance points. “We have to impose our physicality on those things and hit people first,” Julius Randle said. “So, I’ll set a tone with that.”
• After the opening-night loss, Egor Demin talked about finding ways to help the team when his shot isn’t falling, Holmes states in another piece. The second-year guard was just 2-of-10 from the field with four points. “Opportunities are there, everything is given to me, and I just got to be able to execute on the level that I want to be at,” he said.