One of the most exclusive lists in basketball has a new member
Winning the men’s NCAA Tournament is one of the most difficult challenges in any amateur sport. Winning an NBA title is even harder. Winning both in back-to-back years? It almost never happens.
Before Monday night’s title clinching-victory by the Denver Nuggets, only four players had ever accomplished the legendary feat. Now there’s a fifth with rookie Christian Braun going from lifting the NCAA trophy with Kansas in 2022 to the Larry O’Brien trophy with Denver in 2023.
The other four names include some of the most legendary athletes to ever pick up a basketball: Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, Henry Bibby and Billy Thompson,
How does it feel to win the NCAA and NBA Championship in back-to-back years?
Where Braun’s career goes from here is still anyone’s guess, but it’s hard to say the future doesn’t look extremely bright for the talented wing. He’s already got the resume to prove it.
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Unless you Rock Chalk Jayhawk so freaking hard, you probably didn’t have “The Christian Braun Game” on your NBA Finals bingo card.
But the rookie finished with 15 points, shooting 7-of-8 from the field in a Nuggets victory over the Heat in Game 3. It was such an outstanding show from the 2022 NCAA national champion that two-time NBA MVP said that the first-year wing is a winner who won the game for Denver.
This was an optimal time for Braun to have what was, statistically, perhaps the best game of his professional career. There is a fearlessness with which Braun plays on the court and it shows when he attacks the basket regardless of who is defending him.
He can do this because he isn’t sneaky athletic. He is, plainly, athletic as heck.
His standing vertical (33.5 inches) and max vertical (40.0 inches) both ranked in the 93rd percentile or better among all participants in the NBA Draft Combine since 2000, per Stadium Speak. His three-quarter sprint (3.16 seconds) ranked in the 86th percentile.
Note that the players that show up with the most similar historical physical comparisons are guys like Jimmy Butler, Bradley Beal and Brandon Roy. Braun uses that athleticism as one of the most promising young slashers in the league.
When including the postseason, per Synergy, Braun has averaged 1.56 points per possession on cutters. That is one of the most efficient marks in the NBA and trails only a few players including star athletes including LeBron James, Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Braun wasn’t consistently in the rotation for the Nuggets during the regular season or the postseason. But he plays with such unabashed confidence that you cannot tell the difference one way or another.
He is a disruptive role player who leads all Denver players this season, per 36 minutes, in deflections (2.9) and contested shots (9.2). Both rates signify real improvement since the regular season, and Nuggets coach Mike Malone has trusted him to defend Butler.
This is the exact type of player you need on your roster to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy … and the Nuggets got him with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
With two more wins, he could soon make history, becoming just the fifth player to ever win an NCAA title and an NBA title in back-to-back seasons. The only other players to accomplish as much include Bill Russell and Magic Johnson (!!!) as well as Henry Bibby and Billy Thompson.
Braun would become the first basketball player to achieve this feat since 1987, which is 14 years before he was even born.
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Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray deservedly got most of the headlines for the Denver Nuggets’ Game 3 win in the NBA Finals, but we shouldn’t forget about rookie sparkplug Christian Braun. In 19 minutes of play, Braun recorded 15 points, four rebounds, an assist, and solid defense in an energetic performance Denver needed off the bench.
Braun’s confident play in such a big spot drew a lot of praise from Nuggets’ leadership after they won 109-94. The most notable might have been head coach Mike Malone starting to give Braun credit … before interrupting his praise to blast the Miami press room.
Uh, okay?
After Game 3 in Miami, Nuggets HC Michael Malone pauses his praise of Christian Braun to drop in a "What a bad press room, by the way." 🏀🎙️ #NBAFinalspic.twitter.com/dNJRwkBmss
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 8, 2023
Even if Malone’s press room thought was valid (I can’t confirm one way or the other; was the aesthetic of the room poor or what?), I’m not sure why he felt it was necessary to criticize at that moment. And I love how he presents it as a sidebar. “Oh, by the way …”
Let your player have the shine and keep your discomforts to yourself!
Oh well. It’s not as if Malone isn’t pushing the right buttons for a squad two wins away from its first NBA title. Whatever works, I suppose!
This is a perfect playoff heckling moment. No notes.
To say the least: It was not the Minnesota Timberwolves’ night in Denver on Sunday.
From the jump, Denver bashed the Timberwolves around, with six Nuggets scoring in double figures as they completely overwhelmed the Western Conference’s No. 8 seed in a 109-80 victory.
One of Minnesota’s lowlights was, unsurprisingly, Rudy Gobert. The center was now almost two games removed from a play-in-game suspension after punching his own teammate Kyle Anderson. Late in the third quarter, after Denver’s Christian Braun got into a scuffle with Anderson, Braun found himself shooting two free throws following a flagrant foul.
Mind you, the game was already out of reach for Minnesota in chasing a 25-point deficit. This didn’t really mean anything:
Things getting chippy featuring Kyle Anderson anew đź‘€
But it was here that a fan in Denver wanted to ensure Gobert didn’t forget his overaggressive mistake with Anderson. It was here that they tried to instigate another Gobert punch by telling the big man, “You should probably punch him.”
The best part is it’s unclear whether the fan is referring to Braun or Anderson with the “him”!
What incredible work for this heckling fan. Not only do you have the comedic timing, you’re referencing a very topical infamous NBA moment to close the season. Plus, it’s rubbing salt in the wound for Minnesota in an embarrassing loss to start a series.
The Nuggets’ head coach commended Christian Braun for the energy and effort he brings on a nightly basis.
Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone on Thursday commended Christian Braun for the energy and effort the rookie brings off the bench on a nightly basis.
Braun is averaging 4.1 points and 2.2 rebounds in 51 appearances, including three starts. He has given the team strong production throughout the season and can affect games in a variety of ways, from his scoring to his ability to defend.
The 21st pick has played sporadically, but has logged at least 14 minutes in 10 straight games for the first time. It has led to perhaps his best stretch of the season: He is averaging 8.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists on 52.9% shooting from 3-point range.
Malone loves what Braun brings to the court each night.
He goes out there and plays extremely hard. He defends, rebounds, runs and attacks the basket. His 3-point jump shot is getting more and more consistent. He is deserving of being out there and gives that second unit an edge.
Christian is a winner. He won three straight high school state championships (in Overland Park, Kansas). He won a national championship at Kansas and is helping us win at a high level right now. I’m proud of him for a rookie doing that.
With the Nuggets trading Bones Hyland on Thursday, Braun should get even more opportunities. Malone has often stated his desire to get Braun more playing time this year.
Braun is seemingly improving on a nightly basis and his development will be key in helping the Nuggets make another deep playoff run. Of course, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon do much of the heavy lifting, but the team will need more contributions from Braun and others.
The 21-year-old is staying ready for his opportunity to play and is showing out in his role. His arrival this year is proving to be a great addition to the roster as he looks to have a bright future ahead.
Nuggets rookie Christian Braun could see a larger role should the team trade Bones Hyland prior to the deadline.
Bones Hyland is averaging career highs nearly across the board with the Denver Nuggets this season, but the second-year guard could soon find himself on a new team.
Hyland is the subject of trade rumors ahead of the deadline on Feb. 9, and he is reportedly open to a change of scenery. He has expressed the desire to play a larger role elsewhere and is willing to be traded to facilitate that change.
The former 26th pick is averaging 12.1 points, three assists and two rebounds on 37.8% shooting from 3-point range in 42 games this season. He has been a mainstay in the second unit but has been inconsistent. He was benched in the second half on Tuesday.
According to Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report, the team has explored the idea of trading Hyland prior to the deadline next week and has received strong interest from teams.
League sources have informed me that Bones Hyland is open to being traded to secure a larger role. The Nuggets have canvassed the market to gauge interest, and there are a handful of teams who are interested. … If a deal is constructed eventually, the Nuggets believe that rookie Christian Braun is ready to take that next step.
Braun has played sporadically this season and is averaging 3.7 points and two rebounds in 46 games this season. He has given the team a lift at times but has failed to see consistent minutes due to several players ahead of him on the depth chart, including Hyland.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone has expressed on numerous occasions this season that he would like to get more minutes for Braun but has been unable to do so given the configuration of the team. However, a trade involving Hyland could change that.
The front office will certainly weigh its options ahead of next week, but it appears as though Hyland could be on his way out and Braun will have the chance to log more minutes moving forward.
The Bulls have been rumored to be seeking two first-round picks for Caruso.
The Chicago Bulls have been subject to trade rumors galore halfway through the season as they’ve failed to meet expectations in the second-year for this version of their core.
Among the trade rumors, everyone from their Big 3 in DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic to role players like Alex Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, and Andre Drummond have been speculated as potential trade targets for contending teams around the league.
On Monday, Dan Favale of Bleacher Report proposed a deal in his trade deadline guide for the Bulls that would send Caruso to a contending team in the Western Conference.
Braun produced 13 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one blocked shot in the 105-91 victory at Ball Arena. He finished 5-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, in 29 minutes of action.
The 21st pick was tasked with guarding Ja Morant for the majority of the night. Morant finished with 35 points and 10 assists, but Braun held the All-Star to four points on 2-of-7 shooting and forced one turnover as his primary defender, according to NBA tracking data.
He explained his mindset of guarding Morant afterward.
I thought I was doing a good job on Ja and I looked up in the third quarter and he had 30. I wasn’t doing something right, but just making it tough on him. Try to make them take shots they don’t want to take whether that is a contested midrange shot or a floater over a long arm. Those guys are going to go out and get their numbers and get their shots up, and if you can make it as inefficient as possible, that is the goal.
Braun earned the nod in the starting lineup with Jamal Murray out because of injury management. He found out about 20 minutes prior to the start of the game that he’d start, but the 21-year-old said his approach to the game didn’t change.
Christian Braun got his first career start Tuesday night. He scored a career-high 13 points and played some outstanding defense in the win. #MileHighBasketballpic.twitter.com/Z6ImflaR7s
Braun is averaging 3.5 points and 2.2 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per game across 28 appearances. He finished in double figures for just the second time with his performance on Tuesday after topping a previous season high of 10 points on Oct. 28.
He has affected games in a variety of ways this season, from his defense to his ability to get into the paint and finish at the rim. But it is his energy that stands out the most to head coach Michael Malone.
His first game this season was at Golden State and Christian, because Jamal sat that night, gets to play and looked like he belonged from the get-go. Attacking, filling the lanes, getting to the cup, guarding and just flying around.
He has just a tremendous amount of energy and that’s what we need. Making shots or not making shots, we just need energy. We need some guys that are willing to fly around and wreak some havoc out there. I think Christian fits that to a T.
Braun has emerged as a key player to this point for the Nuggets off the bench. He has given the team a tremendous boost of energy and effort throughout the season and has impressed Malone and his teammates in the process.
He is staying ready for his opportunity to play and is showing out in a limited role. His arrival this year is proving to be a great addition to the roster as he looks to have a bright future ahead.
Rookie Wire took a look at the top first-year players over the first two weeks of the 2022-23 season.
The incoming rookie class has had two weeks of games in the NBA and already has produced some remarkable performances in the early going of the season.
No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero is off to a tremendous start and is seemingly showing out on a nightly basis. He scored at least 20 points in each of his first six games, becoming the first rookie to do so since Grant Hill (Nov. 4-15, 1994).
Elsewhere, several other first-year players have put up strong starts to the season. The group is looking to live up to expectations in the early going with several individuals emerging as key players for their respective teams around the league.
To make sense of it all, we took a look at the best recent performances of these first-year players and ranked them in the latest edition of the Rookie Wire Power Rankings. The rankings are not for Rookie of the Year purposes but, rather, to illustrate the best players week to week.
Braun turned in yet another strong performance and received high praise from head coach Michael Malone afterward.
Denver Nuggets rookie Christian Braun turned in yet another strong performance on Wednesday and received high praise from head coach Michael Malone afterward.
Braun produced nine points and five rebounds in a season-high 25 minutes off the bench in a 110-99 win at home over the Los Angeles Lakers. He went 4-of-6 from the field and gave the team a tremendous defensive effort on the court.
You can talk about a lot of things in terms of what constitutes a good defender. I think the biggest part of it is the will, the want. Switching onto LeBron James, he is a rookie. He was in college last year hanging out at frat parties and he is out here not afraid. He is going to get scored on. He is going to make mistakes. He is in like an advanced program right now and he is excelling.
Braun logged less than two minutes of action in the season opener on Oct. 19. He saw 22 minutes in their second game and filled the stat sheet, recording four points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals in a win over the Golden State Warriors.
Christian Braun leads the Nuggets’ bench in minutes for the second time in the last four games. Nine points on 4/6 shooting with some really solid defense. #milehighbasketballpic.twitter.com/cnnOTHXlar
He has since been one of the first players off the bench for Malone. He has quickly earned his trust given his energy and ability on both ends of the court. Braun is receptive to constructive criticism and has shown a willingness to want to improve.
The early showing by Braun has resonated with Malone.
He doesn’t look like he doesn’t belong, and you can’t say that about a lot of rookies. I’m just so proud of the kid. He doesn’t blink. He doesn’t get rattled. He is really a cool-hand Luke — just calm, cool and collected. A fun kid to watch.
After starting the season out of the rotation, Braun is quickly emerging as a key player off the bench for the Nuggets. It is hard to imagine a game in which Braun doesn’t play big minutes moving forward, a testament to his work ethic and ability on the court.
Denver returns to action on Friday with the Utah Jazz.
