The summer is officially here, and the NBA Summer League has officially begun. Louisville basketball fans saw former starting shooting guard Ryan Conwell make his debut in eye-popping fashion.
Conwell scored a game-high 21 points after making three 3-pointers on 43 percent shooting from beyond the arc for the Miami Heat. Conwell was one of two Cardinals drafted in the 2026 NBA Draft, as Mikel Brown Jr. was the first Cardinal of the two selected.
While Conwell made his NBA Summer League debut, Mikel Brown Jr. still has not. The No. 6 overall pick missed the Brooklyn Nets' first game on Saturday, July 4, and Nets Summer League Head Coach Dutch Gaitley just announced Brown is slated to make his debut on Monday, July 6.
Mikel Brown Jr. 'slated' to play Monday
The Brooklyn Nets had the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and with that pick, the Cardinals' former 5-star freshman was selected. Brown missed 14 games this past season with a back injury, including the final six games.
Brown now has a highly anticipated debut this summer, and many basketball fans were hoping it would be yesterday. The Nets played the Sacramento Kings, who had the No. 7 overall pick, and they took Arkansas point guard Darius Acuff Jr.
Many fans hoped for a Brown vs. Acuff Summer League matchup, but the former Cardinals did not play. It was reported after the game that Brown won’t play on Sunday either against the Milwaukee Bucks, as he will make his highly anticipated Summer League debut on Monday, July 6, against the Golden State Warriors.
“He is slated to play on Monday,” stated Gaitley. “That is going to be the goal.”
Nets Summer League Head Coach Dutch Gaitley on the reason not to play Mikel Brown Jr. and Danny Wolf:
— Shara Talia Taylor (@staliataylor) July 5, 2026
"He is slated to be ready to play on Monday, that's going to be the goal and then Danny just has lower back soreness and we want to be smart." pic.twitter.com/hbKVXljqqW
Brown snapped multiple NBA Draft drought for the Louisville Cardinals. The 6-foot-5 point guard was the first Cardinal selected in the first round since 2017, Brown was the first Cardinal selected in the top 10 since 1996, and he was the first Cardinal selected in the top six since 1990.
Despite Brown missing 14 games in his lone year with Louisville, the 5-star recruit out of Orlando has an incredibly high ceiling, earning NBA comparisons to NBA All-Star LaMelo Ball.
Louisville and Nets fans are excited to see Brown take the floor on Monday and watch the No. 6 overall pick make his debut for the Brooklyn Nets.
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