The Brooklyn Nets will be playing in the California Classic for the first time and as a result, Nets fans will be able to see some of the younger players on the roster get more reps than normal years. Brooklyn has an interesting summer slate this time around as they will be looking to see what guard Mikel Brown Jr. and forward Tyler Bilodeau has along with four of the five players from the 2025 NBA Draft.
On Saturday, the Nets will be facing the Sacramento Kings and that matchup will be interesting for a number of reasons, but the main attraction is the matchup between Brown and guard Darius Acuff Jr. With the Los Angeles Clippers taking Illinois guard Keaton Wagler with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, many around the league believed that Brooklyn would take Acuff over Brown.
However, Brown made it clear that he met with the Nets multiple times over the course of the pre-draft process so it made sense when Brooklyn selected him given the familiarity. Be that as it may, the Nets still have to see if Brown can live up to his draft position and the first step on that journey as in the California Classic so here is what you need to know for Saturday’s matchup against the Kings:
How To Watch
- Date: Saturday, Jul. 4
- Time: 5:00 PM ET
- Location: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
- Channel: NBA TV/Gotham Sports app
Things To Note
- The Nets selected Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but he will be unable to play for Brooklyn until the trade involving Julius Randle and Nic Claxton is finalized.
- Egor Demin, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf, and Danny Wolf will be playing in the summer leagues and plenty is riding on the development of the second-year players at this point in the rebuild. Nolan Traore will not be playing due to having a knee scope on his right knee, but he should be good to go for training camp in the fall, per general manager Sean Marks.
- Chaney Johnson and Grant Nelson, two staples from the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s G League afiliate, will be playing in the summer league, with Johnson already signing a Two-Way deal. Most of the players outside of the rookies and second-year guys will be vying for the G League roster, but Johnson and Nelson should be leading that group.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets vs. Kings summer league preview: How to watch, things to note
