NEW YORK -- The Brooklyn Nets (0-1) did not begin their 2026-27 NBA season on the right foot as they lost at home to an injured Charlotte Hornets team on Sunday, 110-103. Brooklyn has 81 games left to play and they will have plenty of time to figure out what they have to do to start winning games, but the good news is that their injury report is relatively-thin at this point.
Heading into Saturday's game at the Cleveland Cavaliers (0-1), the Nets announced that rookie forward Tyler Bilodeau remains out of the rotation due to a right shoulder sprain. Aside from Bilodeau, everyone else on Brooklyn's roster is available, though head coach Jordi Fernandez did provide some details on how the team is handling rookie guard Mikel Brown Jr. as he recovers from his preseason ankle injury.
"That's not gonna change in a way. If you guys think about it, how many games he played last year? 19, I believe. This season is 82 [games], right? Is he gonna play all 82? No, because of the back-to-backs," Fernandez said of Brown when asked if he would remain on a minutes restriction for the game against Cleveland. Fernandez has not specified what Brown's minutes limit is, but he played 20 minutes off the bench in the loss to Charlotte.
"We're gonna build them to be healthy and to be a strong NBA player. So, we have a plan for him," Fernandez continued on Brown. "Obviously, we're not gonna disclose disclose every single step of the way, but the No. 1 thing is build him up and build up his body to be able to sustain the minutes that can help the team win games."
Fernandez went on to say that Brown would remain on his minutes restriction for the time being and that there isn't a set date on when that will change so the rookie will be coming off the bench in the meantime. The Cavaliers have ruled out Nae'Qwan Tomlin, Khalifa Diop, and Ernest Udeh Jr. so the Nets will have to contend with Donovan Mitchell and company at full health.
Nets rookie Tyler Bilodeau remains OUT for tomorrow's game at the Cavaliers due to a right shoulder sprain.
— Sharif Phillips-Keaton (@SharifKeaton) October 23, 2026
Cleveland has ruled out Khalifa Diop (left knee injury management), Nae'Qwan Tomlin (low back stress reaction), and Ernest Udeh Jr. (G League).
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Full Nets injury report for Saturday's matchup at the Cavaliers