Mikel Brown Jr.'s Rookie Season Hits Another Speed Bump with Wednesday Illness

Mikel Brown Jr. is back on the injury report, but this time it is not his ankle or his back. The Brooklyn Nets rookie has been downgraded to questionable for Wednesday with an illness.

The 20-year-old point guard has been in the NBA for about five minutes, and his medical file already reads like a guy who has been taking charges in the paint for a decade.

"Underdog NBA reported: 'Mikel Brown Jr. (illness) downgraded to questionable Wednesday.'"

When he actually stays on the floor, Brown looks exactly like the guy Brooklyn drafted to help save their franchise. He is averaging 12.9 points and 3.9 assists in just over 23 minutes a night through his first seven regular-season games.

The problem is keeping him in the lineup. He started the year on a strict minutes restriction after missing three preseason games with a sprained left ankle. Then he spent the first week of November bouncing on and off the injury report with a lingering back issue.

Now, just as he was finally getting cleared from the back problems, a random Wednesday illness threatens to sideline him again.

For anyone looking at the prop markets or trying to finalize a daily fantasy roster, this creates a massive headache. It is impossible to confidently project a rookie's statistical ceiling when you have to worry about whether he can make it through morning shootaround without needing a bowl of soup.

The Nets are in the middle of a massive rebuild, meaning they have absolutely zero incentive to push their young guard through the sniffles.

Keep a close eye on the final inactive list before tip-off on Wednesday. If Brown sits, expect Brooklyn to heavily shuffle their backcourt rotation, leaving bettors and fantasy managers scrambling to figure out who actually gets the ball.