Brazile's NBA Summer League Debut Left Much To Be Desired, But Not Rebounds

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — You couldn't ask for much more from Denver Nuggets center Trevon Brazile on the glass on Friday.

Unfortunately, the rest of the former Razorback's game was lacking in his NBA Summer League debut, a game that saw Denver fall to the Houston Rockets by a score of 97-86 in Las Vegas.

Pro Hog & Nuggets rookie F Trevon Brazile started & had 5 pts (2-8 FGs, incl 1-1 from 3, & 0-1 FT), game-high 11 rbs, & 1 stl in 29 mins in a 97-86 loss to the Rockets on Fri in his NBA Summer League debut in Las Vegas ... pic.twitter.com/0Z855XAN0v
— Kevin McPherson (@ARHoopScoop) July 11, 2026

Unlike his fellow former Razorbacks in Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas, Brazile's first taste of NBA action was more of a welcome-to-the-league moment rather than a coming out party. In just under 29 minutes of action, Brazile scored only five points on 2-8 shooting, had four turnovers, blocked zero shots and had a plus/minus of -17 at the final buzzer.

Granted, Brazile was not the only Nugget to have an off-night, as evidenced by Denver's 11-point loss and the fact that Bryce Hopkins, DeJon Jarreau, Osayi Osifo and KJ Simpson also were posted double-digit negative plus/minus lines. But after Acuff and Thomas played so well in their debuts, it was somewhat disappointing to see Brazile struggle.

There was some good to be found in his game, however. In addition to his six defensive rebounds, Brazile pulled down five boards on the offensive glass, more than anyone else in the contest. His 11 total rebounds were a game-high; no other player had more than nine.

Brazile also hit a nice catch-and-shoot three at the top of the key. That was his only attempt on the night from beyond the arc.

But the bad certainly didn't look good for Brazile. He missed his only foul shot and his shooting struggles were uncharacteristic for a player who shot 52.5 percent from the field at Arkansas last season. The 6-foot-10 big man also didn't record a block on Friday; he never averaged less than one per game in college.

Still, one Summer League game is not a definitive look at how Brazile will play at the NBA level. Everyone on the floor is still trying to find their footing, and it's hard to believe Brazile, a battle-tested ballplayer, won't find his soon enough.

With that said, it'd be nice to see Brazile shoot the rock better on Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. If he can find more open threes, there's no reason why he shouldn't fire away.

Perhaps it was first-game of his NBA career jitters, too. The game speeds up some, the court is spaced out and a rookie is trying to find a rhythm with teammates he's unfamiliar with.

But Arkansas fans are familiar with these kind of appearances from him anyway, considering when he goes cold from the floor it made Arkansas less dynamic. As a senior at Arkansas, he averaged a career-high 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals per game.

The way he fought into more minutes in the rotation at Arkansas his final two years shows he's not afraid of working hard to prove his worth on the floor.

Sign up to our free newsletter, and follow us on Facebook, X (Twitter) for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google