The Christian Braun experience is BLOWING my MIND
After we won the natty, Christian Braun did what he had to do and leapt to the NBA draft from the platform of an excellent NCAA tournament. Braun went #21 to Denver, who were absolutely pumped to get him—a deliriously entertaining interview with Nuggets scouting director Jim Clibanoff prominently featured the word “cojones.” It seemed like one hell of a glow-up for CB2, who had not been a particularly highly-ranked draft prospect before his electric March Madness run.
But the early returns on CB’s NBA career are… spectacular? He’s already an important role player on a playoff team? He’s both a great fit for what the Nuggets do, and has already exceeded expectations?
It’s early, and frankly I’m shook—that’s why I’m throwing those QUESTION MARKS at you. But a lot of what Braun does feels sustainable. He plays like a psychopath on defense, and has a natural feel for disrupting passing lanes. He runs out in transition and finds the space to fill—always his strength—and is aggressive as possible toward the basket. He’s just So. Annoying.
And I cannot get enough of it.
It’s a wild turn of events. Ochai Agbaji is getting handed DNPs (he’s played more in recent days though he has not yet made a three at the time of this writing) and CB is whirling around as one of the first guys off the Nuggets bench. This is why the NBA is the best league in the world. Stuff like this happens all of the time.
As I have pushed my Braun agenda onto others—he’s gonna make second-team All-Rookie—I’ve dealt with a little resistance. I understand the talk of the haters. The system Denver plays suits anyone who cuts and plays with verve, because Nikola Jokic is opening up the floor all over with his passing. Comparing Braun and Ochai is not fair to Agbaji; Utah is not the team that drafted him, though his inclusion in the Donovan Mitchell deal suggests that Utah sees him as a valuable piece and he will contribute more and more as they learn what kind of player he is. The Nuggets org coveted and selected Braun based on his specific set of tools. Maybe it’s not the most unbelievable development that Braun is showing out.
All rookies hit the wall at some point. Braun has shot the ball only so-so outside of a three-threes outburst against Oklahoma City. But Braun looks like the steal of the Draft so far—he’s at least in the conversation. As someone who watched almost every second of his career at Kansas, I still did not see this coming.
Also… the Nugs are already producing featurettes on CB? This is cool. Admit it!