A lot of second-round talents don't pan out. Some do, like the Denver Nuggets' very own three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets' 2026 second-round pick, Trevon Brazile, has a long, long way to go to see if he is going to become an NBA star. But through three Las Vegas Summer League Games, Brazile has shown all the potential to become a steal at the 35th pick if he can translate the skills from summer to regular season.
Brazile continued to dazzle in the latest summer league game, this time showing the hops and athleticism that helped put him on the radar coming out of Arkansas. Brazile skied to get a block, elevating with ease, showing his length in reaching the ball at a height level with the top of the square on the backboard. His jump looked effortless, and he continued to show his strong rim protection with two more blocks, finishing with three on the night.
Brazile should be given a chance for minutes right away
The Nuggets got someone they were comfortable with drafting rather than reaching for at the original 26th pick in the draft, and by trading down and out of the first round, they could draft Brazile and sign him to a lower-cost minimum salary contract. Plus, they added two future second-round picks from the San Antonio Spurs in the trade. Boom. Win-win.
Enter Brazile. Rim protection and athleticism were two key needs the Nuggets needed to address this offseason, and they definitely found that in Brazile. But over the last two summer league games, Brazile has shown an upside that would make him a steal for the Nuggets.
Brazile had a game of 32 points on 6-12 shooting from three-point range, and he backed that up the next game with 19 points, shooting 2-6 from three.
44.4% on volume threes at 6-foot-10, and the kind of rim protection Brazile is showing is first-round-type talent. Brazile will be able to stretch the defense and open up spacing even further, and could be an intriguing option to play alongside Nikola Jokic as a lob threat, and now, as a three-point specialist, too.
The Nuggets already locked up Brazile for the longer term, signing him to a four-year contract for $9.3 million with the first two years guaranteed. They have to be happy with what they have seen, and it should be enough to give the newly signed rookie a shot at the rotation immediately, backing up Aaron Gordon right away.
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