Christian Braun is starting to look like the kind of two-way piece the Nuggets paid for.
After taking heat for the five-year, $125 million deal Denver gave him, Braun didn’t come close to matching it last season. Injuries dragged him down for much of the year, and he never fully found his footing, even in the playoffs.
But this season has opened with a different feel. His explosiveness appears to be back, and that showed in the Nuggets’ 104-91 win over the Pelicans.
Braun has also looked sharp on the defensive end to start the year, turning up pressure on the perimeter and averaging 2.3 steals through the first four games. That side of his game was part of the reason Denver committed so heavily to him in the first place. The other half was his offense, the version of Braun that averaged 15.4 points while shooting 39.7% from three in his third season.
What’s interesting now is that his offensive growth doesn’t look like a simple return to the old script. The cutting game is still there, and Nikola Jokic still knows exactly where to find him on those back-door plays that lead to clean finishes at the rim.
But Braun is adding another layer. He’s begun to knock down mid-range jumpers when the lane gets crowded, and that’s a shot worth watching if it keeps showing up.
He’s hit a couple of those in recent games, and it changes how defenses have to think about him. If teams can’t just sit on the drive or chase him off the line, Braun becomes much harder to handle.
Maybe he picked up a thing or two from DeMar DeRozan. Whatever the source, the jumper looks good enough to keep taking.
Against New Orleans, there was more to like than just the scoring. Braun also finished with 4 assists, including drive-and-kick looks that helped Denver create better shots. Then he closed the door with 3 made three-pointers in the fourth quarter, the kind of late burst that turns a solid performance into a loud one.
He may never blow past the expectations tied to that contract, but Braun is moving toward something close to real value. If he keeps defending at this level, keeps moving without the ball, and keeps adding touches like the mid-range jumper and playmaking flashes, he’s trending the right way.
In Other News...
Peyton Watson Is Making Denver's Offseason Choice Look Smarter
When Denver moved Peyton Watson in a sign-and-trade after contract talks stalled, it was the kind of decision that could have looked risky if the wrong side of the deal got the better end. A player who had flashed enough last season to make the Nuggets think twice was suddenly in Cleveland, and the question for Denver became whether the roster could absorb the loss without creating another hole on the wing.
So far, the early returns have made the Nuggets offseason pivot look more sensible. Watson has not found the same rhythm from deep with the Cavaliers that he showed in Denver, while rookie Trevon Brazile has stepped into a similar role and given the Nuggets a cheaper option to develop. It is still early, but Denver has reason to feel better about the way it handled the situation. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets May Have Found The Frontcourt Defender They Desperately Needed
Trevon Brazile has given the Nuggets something they have been searching for early this season: a frontcourt defender who can change possessions with length, activity and athleticism. The rookie has already stood out in Denvers recent games, including a strong showing against the New Orleans Pelicans, where his presence helped make life harder for opposing shooters and added a different kind of energy to the rotation.
What has made Brazile especially intriguing is how quickly his defense has translated to the NBA level. He has been limiting opponents efficiency and giving Denver a sturdier look on that end of the floor, which matters for a team trying to build consistency around its bigger lineups. The bigger question now is whether this early impact is the start of a real role, or just the first glimpse of what he can become. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Injury Strategy Is Raising A Frustrating Question For Fans
Last seasons injury grind put the Nuggets through a long stretch of lineup instability, with the starting five missing a combined 136 games. For a team built to contend, that kind of disruption is hard enough on its own, but it also sharpened the focus on how Denver manages the return of injured players and how much caution it applies before sending them back out there.
Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun and Peyton Watson all came back from injuries last season only to run into fresh setbacks soon after, which only deepened the frustration around the process. For fans, the question is less about whether the Nuggets are being careful and more about whether that caution is helping them avoid bigger problems or simply stretching out the absence of key rotation pieces. [Read more 🡒]