Nuggets rookie Trevon Brazile grabs 12 rebounds in NBA debut
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The gist
Nuggets rookie Trevon Brazile had 4 points and a team-high 12 rebounds in his NBA debut, a 96-84 loss to the Thunder.
His rebounding has coach David Adelman saying Denver will need him in the rotation.
Background
Trevon Brazile is a Denver Nuggets rookie forward, No. 7, a second-round pick out of Arkansas. He built momentum in the preseason, scoring 22 points in a loss to the Clippers and posting 12 points and eight rebounds while starting in place of Aaron Gordon against the Lakers, and he shot 5-for-7 from deep over Denver's last two preseason games. His debut came with rotation minutes in play: Julian Strawther was announced before the preseason finale to miss at least six weeks with a left knee sprain, while Spencer Jones' hamstring injury kept another spot open.
How it unfolded
- Oct 4, 2026Brazile played for the Nuggets in a preseason game against the Utah Jazz at CU Event Center in Boulder.
- Oct 16, 2026He played for Denver against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
- Oct 20, 2026A report asked whether the rookie could snag NBA minutes early in the season after strong preseason play.
- Oct 22, 2026In his NBA debut, Brazile checked in for Aaron Gordon with 5:16 left in the first quarter of a 96-84 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder; he finished with 4 points (1-of-6 FG, 0-of-4 3P, 2-of-2 FT) and a team-high 12 rebounds (3 offensive) in 18 minutes.
- Oct 23, 2026Reports credited his 18 minutes partly to Spencer Jones (hamstring) not playing.
- Oct 24, 2026Commentary said Brazile has done enough in preseason and his first official game to earn a spot in head coach David Adelman's 10- or even 11-man rotation.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Nuggets head coach David Adelman said Brazile did exactly what he was supposed to do, called his rebounding impact enormous, and said "we're going to need him."
- Official
- Adelman also said he turned down shots and would love to see him shoot four or five threes a game.
- Analysts
- Commentary argued Brazile has done enough in preseason and his first official game to earn a spot in the rotation.
- Caution
- The Denver Post noted that with Spencer Jones returning from a hamstring injury, Brazile's opportunities will inherently be fewer and earning trust will take time.