One of the biggest bright spots to start the season for the Denver Nuggets has been the play of rookie second pick Trevon Brazile. The 35th pick of the NBA Draft has been a highlight reel so far. He was a big part of the Nuggets' 23-point come-from-behind overtime win against the New Orleans Pelicans. He's played great on both offense and defense. But his defensive numbers are downright impressive, and the Nuggets have a potential monster in the frontcourt.
The 6-foot-10 forward was gifted with some amazing athleticism. He's got a 41.5" vertical leap and a 7-foot-4 wingspan, and he used every bit of it to block two three-point attempts like he was jumping off a trampoline against the Pelicans. Brazile's been soaring for rebounds, and he's averaging 7.5 rebounds per game to start the year.
But what could be the most impressive stat of all revolves around his defense. And the Nuggets should be thanking their lucky stars that Brazile fell so far in the draft.
Okay, it's a four-game sample. But when was the last time the Nuggets had a player to be this excited about on defense? Brazile ranks number one in eFG% vs. expectation. I'll repeat that. Number one! Effective field goal percentage vs. expectation is what opponents shoot compared to their eFG% against all other players on a primary assignment only. No help defense. And the Nuggets have the top-ranked guy in Brazile!
He's only allowed 10 makes against 34 attempts, for an eFG% difference of -25.2. Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama ranks 18th, and All-NBA Defensive Second Team member Scottie Barnes ranks 5th.
Brazile is also 2nd in the NBA in 3PT% vs. expectation, only allowing 2 makes against 17 attempts. He's been so effective on the defensive end of the court that the Nuggets are a staggering 17.2 points better with him on the floor. That's right. With Brazile on the court, the Nuggets have a defensive rating of just 101.0 vs. 118.2 with him not on the court. Play the kid more!
He was tremendous in his first start against the Pelicans, a 104-91 win for the Nuggets. Due in large part to Brazile's defense. He guarded Trey Murphy III on 18 possessions and didn't allow a point, while Saddiq Bey managed just two points over 14 possessions.
The Brazile lore keeps growing, and he's becoming a monster on the defensive end for the Nuggets. A monster they've needed for some time.
This article was originally published on www.nugglove.com as Nuggets have a defensive monster on their hands in Trevon Brazile .
