There’s no telling where Trevon Brazile can go once he completely understands where to be on the NBA court.
The rookie has been a revelation through the first two games of his professional career, but he’s still figuring out the intricacies of the Nuggets’ offensive and defensive systems. That’s been a point of emphasis when reviewing tape with coaches.
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“It’s mostly just defensive stuff, learning terminologies and being in the right spot. A lot of my film is that (stuff),” Brazile said. “Then, obviously, it’s knowing where to be at on offense as far as spacing when playing with (Nikola) Jokic and Jamal (Murray).”
For much of training camp and preseason, the Nuggets didn’t expect the 35th overall pick to spend much time playing with the stars, but the 23-year-old didn’t leave the court from the 2:06 mark of the third quarter until Denver’s 141-135 overtime win over the Pelicans was complete. The Nuggets trailed by 18 when Brazile took the court for the final 19-plus minutes of game time. He finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Denver won Brazile’s 28 minutes by 10 points.
“The biggest compliment you can give a guy that’s a rookie in our league is that the veterans on his team trust him, and they have a comfort level with him out there with them in a moment like that,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said after his team’s first win of the season.
“I’m just happy for the kid, man. This is a dream for a lot of these guys just to make it to the NBA. (It’s) a dream to get a contract, a dream to put the uniform on, but to play and compete and have a night like that — it’s not going to be like that every night — but him bringing what he brings is very unique to our team. We haven’t had a guy like him in a long time.”
Denver Nuggets forward Trevon Brazile celebrates a three-pointer in overtime of the home opener against the Pelicans at Ball Arena on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. The Nuggets won in overtime. (Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)
Frankly, there aren’t many guys like Brazile in the league. He measured just under 6-foot-10 without shoes at the NBA’s pre-draft combine and boasts a nearly 7-foot-4 wingspan. Then, there’s his 36-inch standing vertical and a 41.5-inch maximum leap. That rare combination helps clean up some of the standard rookie mistakes.
“His closeouts are very unique. His two-foot jump is Olympic-like. Obviously, (there’s) the length, but I like the toughness on the defensive rebound. That wins you games,” Adelman said.
“Even tonight, he was such a high-impact guy. The first half, he made some mistakes off ball. You’re going to do that when you’re a rookie with all of these different actions he hasn’t seen, but he stays with it.”
Adelman returned the favor and stuck with Brazile. The rookie hit a couple of 3s in a crucial stretch early in the fourth quarter when a mostly bench unit cut the Pelicans’ lead from 19 to 10 before Murray returned with 8 minutes to play. Brazile was still on the court after the Pelicans took a timeout to draw up a look at a game-winner with the game tied in the final 17 seconds. Adelman pulled his promising rookie to the side on his way to the huddle.
“He was just saying, ‘When the shot goes up, just go get the board. They’re going to crash hard.’ He knows I’m a good rebounder,” Brazile said. “So, he was just telling me, ‘Go get the ball no matter where it’s at.’”
There was no rebound to get. Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic successfully defended a Pelicans pick and roll, forcing Dejounte Murray to pass to Trey Murphy III in the left corner with fewer than 5 seconds to play. Brazile prevented Murphy from going right and getting back to the middle of the court and didn’t bite on a step-back feint. Murphy ended up turning over the ball after a well-timed double team from Jokic.
“He was really good on both ends of the floor. He scored some big points. He had a couple of good defensive rebounds, a couple of big blocks. He was definitely an ‘X’ factor for us,” Jokic said.
“Yes, there is a system, but in some situations, you need to just have a feel. He is doing a really good job.”
The shot didn’t fall in for much of Brazile’s 18-minute NBA debut Thursday in Oklahoma City. He made just one of six shots from the field and missed all four attempts from 3-point range, but he grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds, including three on the offensive glass.
“I’m ready to play,” Brazile said. “You can expect that out of me every night as far as hustle, intensity, doing things that don’t involve the ball in my hands.”
That’s a promising start for a player headed in the right direction.