Nets put faith in Lousville guard Mikel Brown Jr., 2 forward in hopes of flipping franchise

The Brooklyn Nets selected an NBA-record five first-round draft picks last year but didn’t have much to show for their investment, winning just 26 games in 2025-26.

They hope this year’s No. 6 overall pick Mikel Brown Jr. can help change the trajectory of the franchise.

The Nets, who were the only team in the Atlantic Division to finish last season without a winning record, took a chance on the Louisville scoring guard in Tuesday night’s draft in the hopes he can be the breakout player who’ll ignite a struggling franchise.

The Nets also added a pair of 6-foot-8 forwards, selecting Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson with the 28th pick and UCLA’s Tyler Bilodeau in the second round.

Brown averaged 18.2 points and 4.1 assists last season for the Cardinals and was one of the best players in the Atlantic Coast Conference when able to play.

However, he struggled with back injuries and did not play in the ACC Tournament or NCAA Tournament, leading to questions about his durability.

He said he relied heavily on his family, teammates and the Louisville coaching staff to keep him sane during a tough period because he desperately wanted to be on the floor.

“I feel better than ever now,” Brown said.

Needs: Outside shooting was a major sore spot for the Raptors this season after finishing fifth-worst in the NBA in made 3-pointers during the regular season and fifth-worst among postseason teams, losing at Cleveland in Game 7 of their first-round series.

Who they drafted: Santa Clara forward Allen Graves, the West Coast Conference Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year, at No. 19. Graves, who turns 20 next month, averaged 11.8 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 41.3% from 3-point range. He was one of two Division I freshmen to score at least 400 points while collecting at least 200 rebounds and 50 steals. The other was third-overall pick Cameron Boozer. The Raptors added guard Jaden Bradley from Arizona with the 50th overall pick.

NBA comparison: Graves shares some characteristics with new teammate Collin Murray-Boyles, who had a strong rookie season after being selected ninth in the 2025 draft — both pile up rebounds and steals while boasting a soft touch around the rim. If Graves can shoot the 3 in the pros the way he did at Santa Clara, he could evolve into more of a Robert Covington-type for Toronto.

Needs: Mike Gansey entered his first draft as new team president of basketball operations leading a team that needed a big, physical wing player or a center to play the minutes needed when Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond are out. The Sixers are a smaller team with All-Star Tyrese Maxey and last season’s No. 3 pick V.J. Edgecombe in the backcourt.

Who they drafted: Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. at No. 22 overall. The slender 6-3, 176-pound sophomore thrived as a scorer (22.0) and a playmaker (5.0) as a third-team AP All-American, making a leap in his shooting efficiency (50.1% overall, 39.9% on 3-pointers). He thrived as the ballhandler in pick-and-rolls (94th percentile in Synergy) and repeatedly beat man defenses in the halfcourt (90th). The 76ers did not have a Round 2 pick.

NBA comparison: Dejounte Murray of the Pelicans.

Needs: With the Milwaukee Bucks choosing the trade package offered by the Miami Heat for two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Celtics deal with a reality that includes 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown still with the franchise that drafted him exactly 10 years ago, at least for now. Frontcourt depth and ballhandling off the bench were among several notable needs for a team that lost Game 7 of its first-round playoff series against Philadelphia on its home floor.

Who they drafted: Boston selected Houston freshman Chris Cenac Jr. with the 27th pick. The 6-foot-10 forward was a force inside, making 55% of his two-point field-goal attempts for a Cougars team that reached the Sweet 16 of this year’s NCAA Tournament. Cenac attempted 90 3-pointers and shot 33% from beyond the arc. At Houston, he was counted on more for his rebounding ability (7.9 this past season) than shot blocking (0.5 per game). The Celtics took 6-foot-8 wing Dillion Mitchell 40th overall in the second round. He played at Texas, Cincinnati and St. John’s in college. He is an aggressive defender who was named to the Big East All-Defensive team in his senior season. But he isn’t a big-time scorer, which may make it difficult for him to compete for a roster spot next season.

NBA comparison: The ESPN broadcast of the draft noted that Cenac features the same skill set as 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis and holds the potential to be successful as a four or five.

Needs: The Nets needed some scoring punch and a player to get excited about after the team made an NBA-record five first-round picks last year but didn’t come away with anyone who screams superstar.

Who they drafted: Along with Brown, the Nets will acquire the rights to No. 28 pick Joshua Jefferson from Minnesota as terms of a three-team trade in which they are getting Julius Randle from the Timberwolves. Brown gives the Nets a player who can light it up and has the talent that could potentially begin to turn the franchise around. The Nets added Tyler Bilodeau from UCLA in the second round.

NBA comparison: Brown compares to Darius Garland and Jefferson, who had two triple-doubles last season, to a versatile forward such as Lamar Odom. Bilodeau compares to Georges Niang,

Needs: Low-cost players to round out the bench with the starting five of the NBA champions all under contract and owner James Dolan saying he didn’t want to go into the second apron.

Who they drafted: After trading down several times, the Knicks finally drafted Jack Kayil, a guard from Germany, at No. 39 and shooting guard Tyler Nickel from Vanderbilt at 47. Along the way, New York acquired six future second-round draft picks and plenty of cash considerations, capping a busy two days.

NBA comparison: Nickel has a game similar to Sam Merrill, while Kayil is like Jrue Holiday.

AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney, AP Sports Writers Daniel Gelston and Kyle Hightower and AP freelancers Brendan McGair and Ian Harrison contributed to this report.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Mikel Brown Jr. arrives for the first round of the NBA basketball draft Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Mikel Brown Jr. arrives for the first round of the NBA basketball draft Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Mikel Brown Jr., right, poses for a photo with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, left, after being selected by the Brooklyn Nets with the No. 6 overall pick in the NBA Draftin the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Deniz Undav has three goals and two assists in 69 minutes at the World Cup, averaging a goal contribution every 13.8 minutes for a rate topping Lionel Messi (37.4), Kylian Mbappé (48.8) and Erling Haaland (51.2).

And the 29-year-old striker still hasn't earned a place in Germany's starting lineup.

“If I weren’t happy, if I weren't content, I wouldn’t be here,” he said during a news conference Wednesday ahead of Germany's group stage finale against Ecuador. “I accept the role.”

Germany is bouncing back from consecutive group stage eliminations after winning its fourth title in 2014. Die Mannschaft has clinched Group E and will start the knockout phase against a third-place team, possibly Paraguay or Australia, on Monday at Foxborough, Massachusetts.

While Germany is seeking its 12th straight victory, which would tie the team record set in 1979-80, Ecuador has one point and likely needs a victory to have a chance reach the knockout rounds.

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said he planned only forced lineup changes. Defender Nico Schlotterbeck will miss the rest of the tournament after tearing a left ankle ligament against Ivory Coast on Saturday, and left back Nathaniel Brown is out because of an adductor problem. Antonio Rüdiger and David Raum are likely to take their places.

“We want to prepare ourselves for the knockout phase,” Nagelsmann said. “We all say that Deniz really would deserve to be in the starting lineup but we have an idea and we talked about it with Deniz and other players and tomorrow we will do the rotations that are necessary.”

Undav played for Havelse, Braunschweig and Meppen in Germany’s lower tiers from 2017-20, then joined Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium’s second tier and helped the club win promotion. He debuted with Brighton in England’s Premier League for the 2022-23 season and switched to Stuttgart for 2023-24.

Coming off his third season with Stuttgart, Undav was second in the Bundesliga with 19 goals last season and trailed only Harry Kane’s 36. He made his Germany debut in March 2024 and has nine goals in 11 international appearances — just three of them starts.

He entered in the 64th minute of the opening 7-1 win over Curaçao and had a goal and two assists, then came on in the 60th minute against Ivory Coast and scored twice as Die Mannschaft rallied for a 2-1 victory.

Undav was happy to have his name alongside the sport's top stars in the scoring lists.

“Messi, he was my favorite player and what he can still do at the age of 38, 39 is really great," Undav said. “I enjoy his matches. He only runs about 7 to 8 kilometers (4 to 5 miles) but what he does with the ball is amazing.”

Nagelsmann apologized this spring for comments he made after Undav entered at the start of the second half in a March friendly against Ghana and scored a tiebreaking 88th-minute goal. Nagelsmann said Undav didn’t have the necessary stamina to be a starter and scored because his legs were fresh.

"Whether I’m in the starting lineup or later, it doesn’t matter,” Undav said, seated next to his coach. “It’s important that the team wins. And I joined from the bench twice and we won the game. I’m very happy about that.”

Nagelsmann also plans to stay with 40-year-old goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who returned to the national team for the World Cup after a two-year absence, displacing Oliver Baumann. Nagelsmann said goalkeeper coach Andreas Kronenberg spoke with Baumann about the decision.

"Oliver really understood," Nagelsmann said. “I understand completely from the human side and if we only approached it that way it would be obvious, but we have to look at the large picture. It’s not always pleasant to make these decisions but those decisions have to be made.”

Adidas, the German team's equipment supplier, ran out of the letter V for a short time because of the popularity among fans wanting the jerseys of Undaz, Kai Havertz and Aleksandar Pavlovic. Supply has since been restocked.

“My friends, my family already have a jersey. I really didn’t have to order anything new,” Undav said. “I'm very honored by it.”

Ecuador entered with a 19-game unbeaten streak before giving up a 90th-minute goal in an opening 1-0 loss to Ivory Coast. John Yeboah and Alan Minda hit crossbar in first half against the Elephants and outshot Curaçao 28-10 in a 0-0 draw, stymied by Eloy Room's 15 saves

"I am convinced that we have a chance to meet our goals," Ecuador coach Sebastián Beccacece said. “We'll have the taste of happiness if we win and the taste of sorrow if we don’t and that’s life for you."

Ecuador's coach said his family was confronted by an angry supporter after Saturday's game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

“I talked to my wife, my daughters. They told me what happened. I haven’t seen it,” he said. “The first thing I asked was whether anything serious had happened. They said no. Nothing. And at the end of the day, I interpret this as a fan feeling hurt because of the results and then a daughter defending her father. I think anyone should be able to express themselves without reaching this level of confrontation.”

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer takes part in the warm up ahead of the World Cup Group E soccer match between Germany and Ivory Coast in Toronto, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Germany's Deniz Undav (26) celebrates after scoring their second goal during the World Cup Group E soccer match between Germany and Ivory Coast in Toronto, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Germany's Deniz Undav (26) celebrates after scoring their second goal during the World Cup Group E soccer match between Germany and Ivory Coast in Toronto, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)

Germany's Deniz Undav celebrates after scoring their second goal during the World Cup Group E soccer match between Germany and Ivory Coast in Toronto, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)