The Nuggets were the hungrier team in New Orleans, as “human nature” finally kicked in. The starters, which included breakout rookie Trevon Brazile, punched the defense into high gear, earning a lead they would not surrender.
Denver led wire-to-wire on the road in a palate-cleansing win over the Pelicans, who nearly spoiled the Nuggets’ home opener just last week. It wasn’t always pretty, but they earned themselves a margin for error with a much-improved effort where they needed it most — defense.
After the Nuggets lost to the Warriors, Jamal Murray spoke frankly about newfound difficulty on the offensive end.
Without some of their best shooters, and while working rookies into the system, they aren’t able to rely on their half-court offense as they have for most of the core’s tenure here.
The Nuggets will have to win more games on the defensive end, Murray explained. And in New Orleans, we saw that dynamic take shape.
Murray helped set the tone with some hot shooting to open the game, but more importantly, by dialing up the pressure on the other end. The same applies to the rest of the unit, including Nikola Jokić, who recorded his 200th triple-double in the win.
Inevitably, the Nuggets hit a rough patch. The turnovers mounted, the hot shooting cooled, and the Pelicans made a run. But the lead, built on a foundation of team defense, endured.
For the most part, Brazile looked like a seamless fit alongside a suddenly gigantic starting lineup. And he mitigated the inevitable “rookie moments” with unassailable effort, just as he vowed to do after the season opener.
Brazile, alongside Aaron Gordon and Jokić, shored up Denver’s defensive rebounding. And while Zion Williamson did a ton of damage early, the trio settled into an effective group effort, bringing the collective size and rebounding that is unnegotiable in that assignment.
The Nuggets’ two-headed brain trust, Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace, acknowledged a need to get younger and more athletic. The easiest way to do that, obviously, is the NBA draft.
But between Denver’s faulty asset management over the years and some missed picks along the way, one would be blameless in forgetting it’s even possible.
How pleasantly surprising, and potentially consequential for Tenzer and Wallace, to have found Brazile in the second round.
Despite David Adelman’s effort to curb expectations, born of a desire to protect the rookie, Brazile’s play is catching headlines and igniting exciting conversations. And this hot start has little to do with microwave scoring, which is always exciting, though occasionally unsustainable, and sometimes deceptive when evaluating a player’s fit.
Brazile’s skill set directly fills gaps in the roster, allowing Adelman to experiment with lineups amid injury-related turmoil.
He’s provided real utility with his size and otherworldly athleticism, giving the starting lineup a different dynamic in New Orleans.
It always seemed like Denver would benefit from finding shadows of Aaron Gordon’s skill set in the back end of the roster. Standing at 6’10, Brazile casts a large shadow. And he’s already flashing glimpses of a Gordon-lite impact.
In the meantime, lest we put the cart before the horse, the most controllable factor in his immediate success is playing with a high motor. He’s done that to such a degree that the Nuggets will need to find room for him in the rotation when everyone’s healthy — a certified silver lining to the current absences.
The growing pains will come as they would for any rookie. Effort will smooth out the bumps. Brazile’s bringing it whenever he can, and it helped Denver secure a much-needed win on a night he’ll always remember.
