Christian Braun is heading into the new season with a spotlight he didn’t ask for and probably can’t avoid.
The latest hit came from Bleacher Report, which put Braun on its All-Overpaid team and slotted him in as the starting shooting guard. That kind of list is the sort of thing that lingers, especially when it lands after a year that already did plenty of damage to his reputation.
It’s easy to see why Braun ended up there. Bleacher Report pointed to his low three-point volume, the sharp drop in his shooting last season, and how much of his production depends on sharing the floor with Nikola Jokic. The piece also noted that Denver’s thin depth and lack of shooting make Braun’s contract even harder to stomach, given how much salary is tied to a player whose offense remains limited.
That critique lands because the broader picture around the Nuggets doesn’t help Braun at all. Denver has built a roster so top-heavy that the starting group has to carry nearly everything, and if the team is going to contend, that unit needs to be elite. Braun’s struggles last season made that reality look even harsher, especially after his injury-plagued year ended in an ugly first-round playoff loss to the Timberwolves.
The pressure on Braun is also tied to the long shadow of the Peyton Watson decision. The Nuggets essentially picked Braun over Watson, handing CB a five-year, $125 million extension while letting P-Wat play things out until restricted free agency. Watson is now in Cleveland, and that storyline is no longer hanging in the background - it’s part of the case against Braun every time his name comes up.
Still, there’s reason to think Braun can change the conversation. He’s only 25, and there’s no real reason to assume his athleticism has disappeared. The hope is that the ugly ankle injury he tried to play through had a major impact on his season and that a healthier version of Braun can get back to form or even take a step forward.
The Nuggets clearly paid him for a reason. The contract may look steep now, but Braun showed he could be a two-way force over the first three seasons of his career. If he comes back healthy and plays with the kind of edge that usually follows a season like this, he has a chance to quiet the noise.
If he doesn’t, the criticism isn’t going anywhere. Braun’s name could keep showing up on lists like this for a long time, and if Watson keeps improving in Cleveland, that whole debate will only get louder.
In Other News...
Nikola Jokic Keeps Giving Nuggets Fans A Reason To Wonder
Nikola Jokic spent much of his offseason back in Serbia, and for Nuggets fans, that alone is enough to keep the imagination working overtime. He has long said he wants to spend his entire career in Denver, but the latest glimpse into his summer routine offered a different kind of picture, one centered on horses, quiet and the kind of distance from basketball that only seems to sharpen the questions around what comes next.
The Nuggets have no official reason to worry about any immediate decision, and there has been no report suggesting Jokic is about to change course. Still, every offseason seems to renew the same lingering thought in Denver: how long will the franchise centerpiece keep choosing the NBA over the life he clearly loves away from it? For now, the answer remains unstated, which is exactly why the speculation keeps following him back from Serbia. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Gordon Just Put Nuggets Rookies In A Tough Spotlight
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The harder question is what comes next for two rookies trying to turn that summer promise into a real path. Denver has reason to be patient, especially with Hopkins likely to spend plenty of time in the G League, but even Braziles more NBA-ready profile does not guarantee an immediate opening. For a team with postseason ambitions, the challenge is less about liking the talent and more about finding minutes, roles and the right developmental lane at the same time. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Title Hopes May Ride On One New Role In Denver
The Nuggets head into the new season still carrying the sting of a first-round playoff exit, and the pressure around Denver has only sharpened with another chance to chase a title around Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon. The front office added DeMar DeRozan in the offseason, giving the roster another proven scorer and another layer of intrigue as the team tries to reset after a shorter run than it expected.
What makes Denver particularly interesting now is how the pieces may fit around the stars who already define the team. Murray's status as an All-Star is part of the conversation again, but the larger question may be how much DeRozan can change the second unit and the overall scoring balance when the Nuggets need it most. If Denver is going to push past last spring's disappointment, the answer could come from a role that looks new in this city, even if the player filling it is anything but untested. [Read more 🡒]