When the Nuggets traded Michael Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets last year in a salary dump, they never really recovered some of the things that made MPJ so integral to the Nuggets' rotation. But rookie second-round standout Trevon Brazile does most of what Porter did very well, and he may wind up being the replacement the Nuggets have been lacking since the trade.
Brazile's off to a smoking hot start for a rookie. averaging 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds across his first four games. He made his first start in the Nuggets' 104-91 win over the Pelicans, and he looked like a natural fit playing the small forward role, which Porter played, alongside Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon in the frontcourt. Brazile finished his first start with 11 points and 8 rebounds, and he looks like he could end up becoming the missing link in the Nuggets' rotation.
Brazile does a lot of what MPJ did well. Some things, even better
Porter was an excellent rebounder at small forward, averaging 7.0 rebounds in his final two seasons with the Nuggets. But Brazile is an even better rebounder than Porter was. Brazile and Porter are both 6-foot-10, but Brazile has a 7-foot-4 wingspan and 41.5" vertical that allows him to sky for a rebound. He uses his energy and what looks to be a non-stop motor to come out of nowhere to chase down the ball.
From beyond the arc, Brazile isn't quite as good as Porter was, who shot 39.6% for the Nuggets over his final two seasons. But Brazile's off to a great start, shooting 33.3% from three over his first four games for the Nuggets. Brazile's been able to provide spacing in the wake of Cameron Johnson's injury, which has helped give Jokic room in the paint to go to work, and he's shown no hesitation to fire the shot when he's open.
But perhaps the biggest difference, and where Brazile is an upgrade, is on defense. Brazile has been at his best near the perimeter, while providing help on double teams with Jokic or Gordon. He uses his athleticism and quickness to scramble back out to the perimeter, and he was able to get two huge blocks on three-point attempts late in the fourth quarter of the Nuggets' 23-point comeback win over the Pelicans two games ago. He skied with his reach and showed just how high he can truly get up to block those shots.
The fun part about Brazile right now is that he's still raw and learning the NBA game. But you can see his basketball IQ growing game by game, and he could end up being the replacement for MPJ that the Nuggets have needed a lot sooner than anyone anticipated.
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