Louisville basketball fans got to watch an entertaining NBA preseason game last night as two former teammates went head-to-head for the first time in their careers. Mikel Brown Jr. made his highly anticipated debut with the Nets, and he faced his former teammate and partner in the Cardinals backcourt, Ryan Conwell.
Mikel Brown Jr. just gave the Brooklyn Nets a glimpse of his scary potential
Brown had an impressive debut, scoring 15 points in 18 minutes, and showed why he was the No. 6 overall pick. As for Conwell, the former Cardinal continues to improve and turn heads in the NBA, with another impressive preseason performance.
Conwell is looking to earn minutes this upcoming season and be a key piece off the bench, and after another good game, his teammate and NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo had nothing but good things to say about him.
Ryan Conwell continues to impress in NBA Preseason
The Miami Heat made a massive splash this offseason, trading multiple pieces for one of the game's top players, Giannis Antetokounmpo. The former Buck is a two-time MVP, 9-time All-NBA, 10-time All-Star, and a member of the NBA 75th anniversary team.
Now, he is on the Heat with Bam Adebayo, creating one of the best frontcourts in the NBA. But with that dominant frontcourt, they need shooters to space the floor, and that is exactly where Conwell comes in.
In the Heat's win over the Nets last night, Conwell showcased his ability to score and playmake, scoring 13 points on 5-of-8 from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. He also added two rebounds, one assist, and two steals in Wednesday's 144-128 preseason win over the Nets.
After the game, a couple of players had nothing but good things to say about Conwell, including Antetokounmpo, who mentioned he is excited to play with the former Cardinal.
“He’s a good player," stated Antetokounmpo on Conwell. "Very good player. Coachable. Makes the right play and he’s going to have a great future in this league, I’m excited to play with him.”
At Louisville, he was one of the top playmakers on the Cardinals, averaging 18.8 points and making 112 3s that year. The former Cardinal made 99 3s or more in his final three college seasons, including his sophomore and junior seasons, when he shot 40 percent or higher from downtown.
If the Heat want to make some noise in the East this year, their role players need to step up and shoot well from beyond the arc to really free Antetokounmpo and Adebayo. Conwell is showing in the preseason that he can be one of those guys, averaging 13.7 points per game.
Conwell is making a quick transition to the NBA and continues to impress, but now he has to do it in real time in the regular season. Conwell will make his official NBA debut on the road against the Timberwolves in Minnesota on Wednesday, October 21.
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