Tag: Christian Braun

Christian Braun fills up highlight reel in best preseason outing

Braun put up his second straight game in double figures to help the Nuggets to a win over the Clippers.

Christian Braun put up his second straight game in double figures on Wednesday to help the Denver Nuggets post a 126-115 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in Ontario, California.

Braun produced a preseason-high 12 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 29 minutes of work off the bench. He did the majority of his work in the first half, recording eight points before the intermission. He finished 5-of-11 from the field.

The 21st pick flashed his athleticism and defensive activity throughout his time on the court. He threw down a couple of emphatic dunks, including a two-handed jam on a fast break.

Braun has seen a larger role with the Nuggets over their last two preseason games. He had just five points in 23 minutes over his first two games but has logged at least 25 minutes in each of his last two appearances for 23 total points.

The Nuggets are in the process of trying out different lineups and it remains to be seen how big of a role Braun will see to start the season. However, he has shown in a limited sample size what he can bring and that could prove to be vital off of the bench.

Denver wraps up the preseason on Friday with the Golden State Warriors.

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Christian Braun among Nuggets to attend minicamp arranged by Jeff Green

Braun was reportedly among the players that attended a voluntary minicamp this week arranged by 14-year veteran Jeff Green.

Denver Nuggets rookie Christian Braun was reportedly among the players who attended this week’s minicamp arranged by 14-year veteran Jeff Green, according to Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports.

Braun joined Green, Davon Reed, Zeke Nnaji and fellow rookies Peyton Watson and Jack White at the voluntary workout in Miami, Florida. Other players on the roster were invited but couldn’t attend due to prior engagements.

The session allowed the group of players the opportunity to get together and put in some work on the court. It was likely the rookies’ first time working out with Green, Reed and Nnaji, so the camp gave them a chance to begin building chemistry with their new teammates.

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The trio of rookies turned in strong outings in the Las Vegas Summer League and each offered a glimpse of his potential. Each figures to compete for minutes this season, which head coach Michael Malone is eager to watch unfold.

The gesture by Green to organize voluntary workouts with more than a month left until training camp begins certainly speaks volumes about his leadership and status on the team. The rookies should benefit by participating this week.

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Nuggets draftee Christian Braun credits mother for competitive spirit

Braun played with tremendous energy and competitive spirit at Kansas, and will be looking to bring those traits to the Nuggets.

Christian Braun played with tremendous energy and competitive spirit over his three seasons at Kansas, and the 21st pick will be looking to bring those traits to the Denver Nuggets.

Braun averaged 14.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and one steal in 40 games to help Kansas win the national title last season. He became the 65th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points and the 20th under head coach Bill Self.

The 21-year-old often brought an infectious playing style with energy and effort to the Jayhawks. He credited that fire to his mother, Lisa, who was a three-time All-Big Eight Conference selection in basketball at Missouri from 1987-91.

He spoke about his spirit as the Nuggets introduced him this week.

I’m just a super competitive person no matter what it is but, on the basketball court, I like to bring a certain personality and a certain passion to the teams I play on. (I probably) get it from my mother. She is the toughest person in my family so I would say that is probably who I get it from. I’m just a super competitive person and I think that toughness and personality is the way I like to show that.

Braun was viewed as perhaps one of the most athletic players in the draft. He had the third-highest max vertical at the combine (40 inches) and excelled in several other on-court drills. He is looking to use that, along with his versatility, on the defensive end of the floor.

I think I can guard multiple positions and I think that is very important right now. You see a lot of teams doing a lot of switching so I’m a guy that is pretty versatile and willing to do those things. I think that is the biggest part of all of it is just being willing.

The Nuggets were said to be very high on Braun during the pre-draft process. There are some holes he can help fill in the second unit, especially as a 3-and-D prospect. He will certainly have to earn his playing time on a team built to win now, but he appears to be up for the task.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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I’m writing a book about P3 called …

I’m writing a book about P3 called BALLISTIC. This week, that has meant spending quality time in P3’s sports science-infused headquarters in Santa Barbara, where a huge number of NBA prospects (Bill Duffy clients like Chet Holmgren, E.J. Liddell, Leonard Miller, Christian Braun, Jalen Williams, and many others) have been intensively preparing for next month’s draft. Draft experts have had plenty of smart things to say about Arizona’s Bennedict Mathurin. The Athletic’s John Hollinger calls Mathurin the fifth-best prospect in the draft. He raves about his shooting, and highlights a play where Mathurin entirely denies a pass to a smaller guard desperate to receive the ball. Hollinger also notes that Mathurin has good size and “plus athleticism.” It’s that last thing that stands out in this building. If he had competed, I imagine Mathurin would have done well on the vertical jump and sprint tests at the combine in Chicago, but tests like those would miss his Jimmy Butleresque solidity. P3 founder Marcus Elliott uses the phrase “damn strong” to describe Mathurin. It’s obviously true.

Potential first-round pick Christian Braun to remain in NBA draft

Braun announced that he will remain in the NBA draft and forgo his remaining collegiate eligibility after three years with the Jayhawks.

Kansas junior Christian Braun on Tuesday announced that he will remain in the 2022 NBA draft and forgo his remaining collegiate eligibility after three years with the Jayhawks.

Braun, who was named to the All-Big 12 second team, averaged 14.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and one steal in 40 games to help Kansas win the national title. He became the 65th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points and the 20th under head coach Bill Self.

The 6-foot-7 guard emerged as a standout at the draft combine last week in Chicago, Illinois. He recorded the third-highest max vertical leap (40 inches) and averaged 11.5 points, five rebounds, 3.5 assists and three steals in two scrimmage games.

Braun is considered to be a potential first-round pick this year.

He established himself as a strong two-way player at Kansas that can lock in on defense and shoot from 3-point range. He has very similar measurements to Sacramento Kings guard Donte DiVincenzo, which is perhaps his most common NBA comparison at this point.

Braun likely formed his decision to stay in the draft based on feedback from team executives and scouts after a strong performance in the combine. He will also have the opportunity to improve his draft stock in private workouts with teams.

The NBA draft will take place on June 23.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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25 NBA draft player comparisons, based entirely on 2022 combine performance

What can this tell us about the success a player will have in the NBA?

Now that the 2022 NBA Draft Combine is in the rearview mirror, teams around the league can make some final conclusions about each prospect.

Every year, two of the most interesting takeaways from this scouting event are the official measurements and the athletic testing scores. Based on what we saw last week, we can make some comparisons to previous participants who went on to play in the pros.

The goal of this exercise was not to predict how a player performs on the court or even offer context about their playing style. Instead, this should at least help provide some useful information about the size and athleticism of these prospects.

Before we get into that, however, let’s review some important details.

For starters, these are just physical comparisons! If you want to read about how some of these prospects view themselves, for example, The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov compiled a very helpful list of their answers.

While I do believe these physical comparisons are useful information to understand a prospect in terms of their build and athleticism, I’m not sure if there is very much correlation to on-court success. There are plenty of more athletically gifted players than Nikola Jokic, for example, who have not won back-to-back MVP honors.

Even with the practical utility of these data points, they can always change. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant were much skinnier when they came into the league. But their measurements can give teams areas that the player will need to work on once drafted into their organization.

Also, especially over the last few years, most of the projected lottery picks were not full participants in the NBA Draft Combine. While plenty went through the camp (and used it to improve their draft stock), many top players in the league do not have official measurements to reference.

So if you think that Jaden Ivey is giving Ja Morant vibes, you might be proven right! But we are not able to make that comparison using this particular database because neither was tested in their pre-draft evaluation.

Regardless, although these comparisons aren’t an exact match, they are at least rooted in actual numbers. You can check this app, which was built by Mark Cheung, for any prospects who participated in the NBA combine or G League Elite Camp that did not make the list included below.

League sources have confirmed to The …

League sources have confirmed to The Kings Beat that not only did Sacramento interview Shaedon Sharpe at the Combine, but they either sat down with or attended pro-days for a bevy of projected lottery/first round picks, including Keegan Murray, AJ Griffin, Bennedict Mathurin, Dyson Daniels, Tari Eason, Kendall Brown, Ochai Agbaji, Malaki Branham, Jeremy Sochan, Patrick Baldwin, Nikola Jovic, Mark Williams, Christian Braun, Wendell Moore, Teruavion Smith and Trevion Williams.