Nuggets draft Brazile and Hopkins, bet on athleticism, experience

The Denver Nuggets weren’t going to be able to address all their needs, nor were they going to get somebody who was guaranteed to make an instant impact with the two second round picks they had in the 2026 NBA Draft.

But Denver did add a couple of needs in Arkansas forward Trevon Brazile: athleticism and forward depth. The Nuggets selected him at No. 35, a pick owned by the Spurs. Denver swapped down nine selections from No. 26 in the first round, netting two second rounders.

And then the Nuggets added a former prep star who took a winding road through college in Bryce Hopkins at No. 49. The forward was a top-50 recruit who bounced from Kentucky to Providence to St. John’s, with a torn ACL costing him most of two seasons in between — but he rebuilt his stock with the Red Storm and lands in Denver with physicality and a high-motor. He may help the team get more rim pressure, a trait the Nuggets have lacked for a few years on the wing.

Brazile, 23, was the third-leading scorer on the SEC Tournament winning Razorbacks, who went on to win two NCAA Tournament games. He played alongside lottery pick Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas, who was selected just one pick ahead. The 6-foot-10, 215-pound forward with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, was the lone player in the country to toss 50 assists, swat 50 shots and swipe 50 balls. He also made 40 triples in the process during his 36-game fifth year.

In all, Brazile averaged 13 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 53% from the field, 34% from deep and 72% from the stripe. He was the fifth-best rebounder in the SEC.

The Athletic wrote about him before the draft, “one of the draft’s best athletes, but his motor and instincts leave you wanting more.”

Despite Brazile spending five years in college and being just five months younger than restricted free agent Peyton Watson, the new forward is the youngest player on Denver’s roster. Brazile might be insurance for the Nuggets if they decide to let Watson walk over money concerns. Brazile, a powerful dunker, could also be a backup plan if the Nuggets decide to go through with a rumored Aaron Gordon trade. Spencer Jones is also a restricted free agent. The trio, maybe the three best defenders on the Nuggets, all play the same position and were all shelved with injuries at the same point multiple times.

Brazile spent so long in college because of an ACL tear, but even after transferring from Missouri to Arkansas, he still flashed big-time athleticism and he could have a future in Denver’s frontcourt.

Brazile was the first Nuggets draft choice since the team traded up to take DaRon Holmes II in 2024, who has been limited to 25 career games due to an Achilles injury. Holmes and Brazile will both be options in the Nuggets frontcourt behind Nikola Jokic with the expected departure of Jonas Valanciunas. Brazile is the first selection made by the new front office leadership, co-GMs Ben Tenzer and Jonathan Wallace, who took over last summer.

Trevon Brazile explosive athleticism pic.twitter.com/SiPWmydVtO

— Pitless (@pitlessball) November 7, 2025

Hopkins, 6-foot-6, 220 pounds with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, arrives as one of the more accomplished college resumes in this draft’s second round. He was the 2020-21 MaxPreps Illinois Player of the Year out of Fenwick in Oak Park, a consensus four-star recruit ranked 33rd nationally by ESPN, before opening his career as a reserve at Kentucky. He broke out after transferring to Providence — earning First Team All-Big East as a sophomore — but a torn ACL wiped out most of his next two seasons.

He resurrected his stock at St. John’s. This past season Hopkins, 23, averaged 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals in 28.8 minutes, shooting 46.9% from the field, 36.3% from deep and 71.3% from the line. He was the Red Storm’s second-leading scorer and best shooter, earning Second Team All-Big East and an All-Tournament nod while anchoring St. John’s to the Big East regular-season and tournament titles and two NCAA Tournament wins.

The pre-draft book on Hopkins, per NBA.com: “a burly, downhill driver who seeks out contact and finishes through bigger bodies” who “can read the floor like a point forward,” with NBA comparisons to Jae’Sean Tate and Grant Williams. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress flagged him as a combine call-up candidate after a G League Combine scrimmage in May, when Hopkins went for 17 points and 8 rebounds in 21 minutes.

Hopkins will likely be looked at as a two-way possibility. The Nuggets finished last season with Curtis Jones, David Roddy and K.J. Simpson in those slots. Jones is likely to be back in that role while Roddy could be promoted to the main roster. Simpson is a wild card. The Nuggets will likely use the Summer League and look at undrafted players to fill out their roster with money being so tight.

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