Louisville basketball fans saw multiple Cardinals get drafted in the 2026 NBA Draft, including Mikel Brown Jr. and Ryan Conwell. Both guards played just one year at Louisville but made their impact, as they led the team in scoring for Pat Kelsey in the 2025-26 season.
Ryan Conwell just turned heads in the NBA with his breakout performance against Minnesota
Conwell has been turning heads with the Heat as he pushes to become a reliable piece off the bench. As for Brown, the lottery pick has yet to make his preseason debut, but that will change tonight. Cardinals fans will want to tune in tonight for preseason basketball as Mikel Brown Jr. makes his highly anticipated debut against his former teammate, the Brooklyn Nets, as they face the Miami Heat.
Louisville fans finally get to see Mikel Brown Jr. make his highly anticipated NBA debut
Nets fans have been waiting for Brown to make his preseason debut, as the former 5-star missed Brooklyn’s first three preseason games, including Monday’s matchup against Washington. Brown has been limited, but Nets coach Jordi Fernández confirmed Tuesday that the No. 6 overall pick will make his debut Wednesday against the Heat.
Jordi Fernandez confirms that #Nets rookie lottery pick Mikel Brown Jr. is expected to debut Wednesday at the #Heat.
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) October 12, 2026
Brown had an eye-popping freshman year at Louisville, averaging 18.2 points per game, and really flourished in the second half of the season. However, as many Cardinals fans know, the 5-star suffered another back injury against Clemson, forcing him to miss the ACC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.
He went on to be selected No. 6 overall and has played four Summer League games with the Nets. He made an immediate impact, averaging 15 points, 4 assists, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals while shooting 34.6 percent from beyond the arc. Brown's injury concern had many people questioning the Nets selecting him No. 6 overall, but the former Cardinal showed his potential in multiple games, including his Summer League debut, scoring 20 points on 50 percent shooting from the field (6-of-12) and 50 percent shooting from beyond the arc (3-of-6).
Now, after a couple of weeks of waiting, Nets and Louisville fans will see Brown in a Brooklyn jersey, and the cherry on top for UofL fans is that he'll play his former teammate.
Conwell has played two preseason games so far, averaging 14 points and 5.5 assists, including his most recent game where he scored 22 points and added nine assists.
The Nets and the Heat will play each other multiple times in the NBA regular season, so this won’t be the only time Brown faces Conwell. But as the former 5-star's preseason debut, and against Conwell, it is one UofL fans should try to watch.
Conwell and the Heat travel to Brown and Brooklyn and will tip off at 7:30 p.m. local time.
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