NBA Draft Outlook: Arkansas Forward Trevon Brazile Suffers Season-Ending Injury
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After an incredible start to his sophomore season, Arkansas forward Trevon Brazile will miss the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign with a torn ACL.
The Missouri transfer entered this season with high expectations, but was even better than expected. As a freshman, he was an incredible shot blocker that produced at least one block in 20 of his 24 games.
This season as a Razorback, he emerged as an even more well-rounded player and was making the case to be considered as a first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Brazile is an incredible athlete that emerged as a smooth, yet wildly athletic forward that had upside as a floor spacer. Simply put, he looked like the perfect modern NBA forward.
Getting it done on both ends, he was great on defense once again, but had also already notched three games with at least 20 points in the first month of the season.
According to a press release from the team, the right knee injury suffered in the first half of the UNC Greensboro game on Dec. 6 resulted in a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which means surgery later this month.
Prior to the injury, he led Arkansas in both rebounds and blocked shots while ranking third on the team in scoring and free throws attempted.
Coming off the bench, he had been one of the top reserves in the country, playing the fourth most minutes on the team and was one of the Razorbacks’ most important players. Brazile finishes the season averaging 11.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots.
How does this affect his draft stock?
Brazile could absolutely decide to come back to college for another year to prove himself and solidify himself as a first-round talent. On the flip side, he could also test his luck in the 2023 NBA Draft.
While he was fantastic this season, improving as a scorer and 3-point shooter, it seems unlikely he could go in the first-round on such a small sample size and coming off of an injury. Regardless, there could definitely be teams that would take a gamble on him in the second round as he could be ready for the start of the 2023-24 NBA season.
It will all come down to his recovery time and his ability to compete in the combine and perform pre-draft workouts.
While Brazile is out for the remainder of the season, this doesn’t mean he won’t be drafted in the 2023 NBA Draft. The flashes he showed through just nine games were extremely impressive.
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