The Brooklyn Nets may not have won the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, but they're already zeroing in on a potential game-changer for their future backcourt.

After landing the No. 6 overall pick—when they had hoped for the top spot—the Nets are now turning their attention to Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr., who Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projects to be their selection. While Brooklyn will likely explore trades to move into the top four or five, Wasserman notes they'll be focused on taking the best player available, regardless of position.

Brown enters the draft with some question marks, but his stock is rising fast—especially as he gets healthier. At the NBA Combine, he measured in at 6'3½" barefoot with an impressive 6'7½" wingspan, then turned heads with a Pro Day shooting display that had every NBA team watching closely.

"The Brooklyn Nets will presumably like to bring in Kingston Flemings and Keaton Wagler," Wasserman wrote. "But Brown could wind up looking more enticing with superior three-point shotmaking firepower and rim pressure than Flemings and quicker-twitch movement and playmaking than Wagler."

Brown's 2025-26 season at Louisville was cut short by a back injury, limiting him to just 21 games. But he's feeling like a new man heading into the draft. "I feel amazing. Those two months, taking them off, definitely helped me. I prioritized my rehab. I really didn't touch a ball like that," Brown told media at the Combine.

Even with the injury, his numbers are hard to ignore: 18.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game, shooting 41.0% from the field and 34.4% from deep. With Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. projected to go No. 5 to the Clippers, Brown could be the perfect fit for a Nets team looking to build around dynamic, two-way guard play.