First impressions go a long way in the NBA. And the first impression that Denver Nuggets rookie Trevon Brazile had against the Oklahoma City Thunder was a good one. He was filling in a spot in the rotation left open by the injured Spencer Jones as the backup to Aaron Gordon. But he's done enough between the preseason and this first official game to get himself a spot in head coach David Adelman's 10- or even 11-man rotation moving forward. He's a must-play on a nightly basis off the bench.
Brazile made his NBA debut when he checked in for Gordon with 5:16 remaining in the first quarter of the Nuggets' 96-84 loss to the Thunder, and he made an immediate impact. Brazile soared from seemingly nowhere to grab 7 rebounds to finish the first frame, 3 on the offensive side. His athleticism stood out from the moment he touched the floor, and he finished the game with 12 boards to lead the team.
Brazile's three-point shot should come in handy in the wake of injuries
Braziile's a good three-point shooter, and nobody's blocking his shot from the perimeter. His shot reminds me of Rashard Lewis, another 6-foot-10 forward who was a sharpshooter for the Seattle SuperSonics and Orlando Magic in the 2000's. Brazile was 6-for-9 from beyond the arc in the preseason, and he was 9-of-19 for 47% in the Las Vegas Summer League. However, he was 0-for-4 from downtown against the Thunder, but it was his NBA debut, after all.
His ability to knock down an open three will be needed with the Nuggets missing Cameron Johnson for an unspecified amount of time. Plus, Julian Strawther's out until sometime in December, and Jones is still out of the lineup to start the year. Playing alongside Nikola Jokic, Brazile can bring his defender out of the paint to give Joker more space to work with. Something Jokic was missing when Johnson left the floor.
Brazile has intangibles the Nuggets need on the floor
Brazile's athleticism makes him an exciting and fun player to watch. He's got a 41.5" vertical jump with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, giving his 6-foot-10 frame a huge advantage to sky for the board. Brazile uses that same length and athleticism to affect shots in the paint, and he led the team with 1.4 blocks per game in the preseason.
He's probably the best rim protector on the team, and with some seasoning and coaching, he'll start to learn where to be defensively to accentuate his rim protection even further. Sure, he was out of place at times against the Thunder and in a couple of the preseason games, but rookies make those mistakes. But that athleticism kicks in, and Brazile can make up for it with a chase-down or help-side block, like he had in the preseason a couple of times.
The opportunity to really shine is there for Brazile. He's already shown that even when those players return, he needs to be a fixture in the rotation.
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