Denver Gazette beat writer Vinny Benedetto takes you around the NBA and inside the Nuggets locker room:

Cracking an NBA rotation as a rookie picked in the second round of the draft is no easy task, but Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins have a head start.

The 23-year-olds drafted by the Nuggets with the 35th and 49th picks, respectively, spent five years in college and played their final seasons for a couple of iconic coaches.

“Both of these guys are unique, because they’re both first-round talents. Obviously in the game we are in today, age is kind of held against you in some cases, because they’re a little bit older than the rest of the class,” executive vice president of player personnel Jon Wallace said at an introductory press conference for the draft picks Monday at Ball Arena.

“We identified these guys early. They both bring something unique — energy, effort, good physical intangibles. I think that age definitely works for them in our situation, given where we are as a team and where they can contribute from day one.”

Brazile spent his last couple of seasons playing for John Calipari at Arkansas.

“The mindset and the work habits that you’ve got to have to be successful, Coach Cal and them do a great job of instilling that into their players,” Brazile said.

“Him and his staff were definitely great for me.”

Hopkins started his career playing for Calipari at Kentucky. He transferred to Providence for three seasons before playing his final season for Rick Pitino at St. John’s.

“There was a time in practice. I think I missed a box out on an assignment, and that was a big thing for us this year. … I remember he told me ‘You’re not that (expletive) good.’ He coached guys like Donovan Mitchell, so just being in that environment every day, pushing me to be the best player I can possibly be. I love playing for ‘Coach P,’” Hopkins said.

“I feel like playing for him prepared me for this moment right now.”

Nothing is guaranteed to the newest Nuggets. As second-round picks, Denver is not obligated to offer them any sort of contract whereas first-round picks have standardized terms dependent on draft position. To earn standard contracts, they’ll have to prove their worth in the coming weeks. They have a good idea of how to do that, starting at Summer League.

Brazile, who is 6-foot-10 with plenty of bounce, believes he’s an underrated shooter and offensive creator and understands it’s the other stuff that could help him get on the floor sooner than later.

“The conversation was they needed players that could come in and produce. I know I can bring a lot of energy, defense and versatility to the team,” Brazile said.

“Defensively, I can switch ‘1’ through ‘5.’ I’m very comfortable guarding on the perimeter. (I can) block shots, get steals, rebounds. I feel like I’m a very versatile player.”

Hopkins also thinks of himself as a versatile player. While Brazile named Jaden McDaniels and Jonathan Isaac as players he attempts to emulate, Hopkins dropped Draymond Green and Aaron Gordon.

“I feel like I’m a very versatile player as well. I love playing hard on the defensive end, just doing whatever the team needs me to do, honestly. I love playing with energy. I can space the floor. I love playing with physicality and stuff like that,” Hopkins said.

“I feel like an underrated part of my game is my playmaking ability for my teammates to grow.”

Neither player was the leading scorer on their college team last season, but both helped their programs reach the Sweet 16. They won’t be the Nuggets’ leading scorer anytime soon, either.

“We know we’ve got one of the best players in the world, a lot of great players around him,” Brazile said. “(It is) a contending team, winning culture, so I’m just trying to come in and be a part of that, impact winning.”

“Being a part of a contending team … is going to be super important for me, for sure,” Hopkins added.

“I’m just super excited, super grateful to be here as a Denver Nugget.”

What I’m thinking

If the Nuggets are looking for a lead assistant with experience as a head coach, as reported, the franchise is a year late.

Targeting Dave Joeger, Frank Vogel or any other coach with a similar resume would have made a lot more season last summer before David Adelman’s first season in charge. Now it feels like an awkward, forced move for a team that has decided to bring back the young coach for a second season.

There hasn’t appeared to be any turnover on Adelman’s staff so far. While there’s no limit to how many assistants a team can employ, assistants with head coaching come with a higher salary, and there’s no evidence that’s an expenditure Denver’s ownership is willing to incur.

What they’re saying

Both of the Nuggets’ draft picks experienced hardship in college. Brazile tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in 2022.

“You definitely got to have a strong mindset. If you don’t, that will build your mindset up for sure, just being away from the game and really having to take a back seat,” Brazile said.

“I learned a lot about my mindset going through that.”

Hopkins tore the ACL in his left knee in 2024 and suffered a bone bruise in the same knee a year later.

“That was the first time I was ever away from the game for that long,” Hopkins said. “I had to look at the game from a different lens. I had to be a supporter of my teammates, try to let them know that I’m there for them on the sidelines as well.”

Both players were on Denver’s radar before and after their serious injuries.

“What we wanted to prioritize was athleticism, physicality, toughness, defense,” executive vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer said.

“I actually looked at our scouting database earlier just to see when we had the first reports on these guys, and they were all from their freshman year. We have several reports since then, seen them every year since.”

What I’m following

• The NBA released its Las Vegas Summer League schedule over the weekend. The Nuggets will play Houston on July 10, Minnesota on July 11, Oklahoma City on July 14 and Portland on July 16.
• Portland acquired Ja Morant from Memphis in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray on Monday.
• Oklahoma City secured Isaiah Hartenstein’s services for the next three seasons, signing the former Nugget to an extension worth $75 million, and picked up Lu Dort’s team option worth $17.2 million. The Thunder shed some salary elsewhere, trading Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins to the Pistons and Hawks, respectively, for draft picks and declining Kenrich Williams’s option worth $7.2 million.
• Charlotte traded forward Miles Bridges, a 2029 first-round pick and a second-round pick in next year’s draft to Phoenix for Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale and a 2033 first-round pick on Sunday. It continues a shakeup in Charlotte after the Hornets traded LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota for Naz Reid, a 2033 first-round pick, three second-round picks and three first-round pick swaps.
• The Magic waived forward Jonathan Isaac, the No. 6 pick in the 2017 draft, on Saturday, making the 6-foot-10 forward a free agent.
• Reserve guards Jose Alvarado and Landry Shamet agreed to new deals to stay with the Knicks for their title defense.
• The Nuggets had a presence at Paris Fashion Week with Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson in attendance.