Mikel Brown Jr. is still getting back in rhythm for No. 24 Louisville after lengthy injury absence

The freshman considered a high-end NBA prospect enters Monday's visit from N.C. State still working his way back to full speed for the 24th-ranked Cardinals after missing eight games with an injury to his lower back. Saturday's win at Wake Forest offered a sample of the ups and downs that have come in his five-game return to the lineup, with Brown going just 2 for 10 from the field but dishing out a game-high eight assists.

“Honestly, it's just been getting my wind back,” Brown told The Associated Press afterward. “Just because I came full back right into it, playing Virginia Tech (on Jan. 24). I just had to get back in game shape, get back into a little rhythm. And once I do that I'll be fine.”

There's no questioning the upside for the 6-foot-5, 190-pound guard, who arrived at Louisville as a McDonald's All-American and top-10 national recruit. His standout performance this year included scoring 20 of his 29 points before halftime to help the Cardinals beat ranked rival Kentucky in November.

But what could be a one-year stay at the college level was interrupted in December, with Brown posting on social media that he was already dealing a back issue before “some hard falls” during a win against Memphis made it worse.

That ultimately led to a six-week absence amid the buildup to Atlantic Coast Conference play.

Getting back in a flow

Brown was terrific in his return, notching 20 points and six assists against the Hokies, but things have been tougher since. Next was a rough introduction to Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium, with Brown looking out of sorts and finishing just 1 of 13 from the field in the Blue Devils' romp.

It was a reminder of how tricky things can get for a freshman under even optimal circumstances, much less after losing so many on-court reps, both for his own game and in building cohesion with teammates.

“I didn't look at it that way, I looked like he was ready to go,” Demon Deacons coach Steve Forbes said of his scouting report Saturday on Brown. “Impressive to me, just watching him, was his ability to get downhill, get by his defender. He’s big enough to finish at the rim, and he’s unselfish to kick it out.

“I’m just impressed with his size,” Forbes added. “If you’re thinking about playing at the next level, he looks like those kind of guys. He's tall and he can play point."

Forbes also pointed to Brown’s ability to get off contested shots off the dribble as an example of his high-end upside. Those are often tougher shots, the kind Forbes said you’d rather force an opponent to take. And yet, he added: “I’ve seen him make them.”

Brown also has the trust of Louisville coach Pat Kelsey.

“'Here’s the ball, go run my team,' — that’s what I tell him,” Kelsey said. “That’s what great point guards do. They make people around them better, and that’s what he does.”

Finding his touch

For now, the most obvious improvement for Brown is to find his shooting touch.

Going back to the Duke loss, Brown has made just 11 of 44 shots in the last four games — most of that production came in a 20-point game against SMU on Jan. 31 — and 6 of 27 3-pointers (22%). Most of his 12 points against Wake Forest on Saturday came at the line (7 of 9), with Brown making 1 of 7 shots from behind the arc.

Brown shrugged off those issues, diagnosing specifically a need to get his legs under him for a stronger base and elevation on his shots. But he said the ball feels good coming out of his hand and he's constantly working on his shooting in the gym.

In that regard, Brown isn't fretting.

“I feel like my confidence is there," Brown said. "It's just about me taking my time and me just being in rhythm. Like I said, it's just a rhythm thing as of right now for me. And once I get that back, I'll be fine.”

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