​Mikel Brown Jr. broke a driver during a summer golf outing in Texas. The 20-year-old and his new backcourt partner, Egor Dëmin, also tried to go shirtless, unfamiliar with the sport’s etiquette.It didn’t take Julius Randle long to figure out who he was dealing with.“I learned they’re kids, man,” Randle said.On the court, Brown has given Randle something else to consider. Entering his 13th season, the veteran has taken notice of the generosity in the rookie’s game, the instinct to help others succeed even as he works to establish himself.“Usually when you’re a young player, you want to try to get a basket every single time, but he’s coming off a pick and roll and really understands how to read and play the game,” Randle said.Brooklyn used the No. 6 pick on a guard with the skill to give an offense direction. Still young, Brown is learning everything else that comes with the job. His body has to withstand the contact. His voice has to reach his teammates. His decisions have to keep pace with a game that gives him more room to create and more ways to get himself into trouble.Brown’s first training camp began with a rolled left ankle. While his teammates practice, he watches, asks questions and speaks up from the sideline. He wants to join them. His ankle has forced him to wait just as he was learning the value of moving at his own pace.At Louisville, defenders could sit in the paint and crowd his drives. The space in Summer League caught his attention. So did the touches he spoiled by rushing into it. Brown recalled getting stuck on drives, playing off one foot and making the wrong decision. He’s since worked on finding his spots and stopping on two feet, bringing his body under control before deciding where the ball should go.“I just got to really slow down,” Brown said.The challenge is taking that extra beat while still trusting himself to act on what he sees. Brown likes ambitious passes. He trusts his reads, even when a turnover follows. His conversations with Nets coaches have centered on recognizing when the simpler play will do more for the possession.“That swagger is going to stay regardless. And I’m a high-risk, high-reward guy,” Brown said. “Obviously I know sometimes it’s better to hit the single and that’s what I’ve been talking to my coaches about, and I’ve gotten better at that.”Bootsy Thornton watched Summer League wishing Brown would attack more. A longtime family friend who helped coach him in Orlando, Thornton was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2000 Big East tournament at St. John’s. He went on to play professionally in Europe for 14 years, earning All-EuroLeague second-team honors in 2008.Thornton also saw a willing passer who could run the show without getting credit for an assist on any given possession. Brown might make the pass that opens up the next one, moving the offense toward a shot somebody else finishes.“I envision him as a point guard, to be honest with you,” Tho