Heading into the 2024-25 NBA season, the biggest reason why national pundits thought the Denver Nuggets would take a step back was the departure of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
After Caldwell-Pope was traded to the Nuggets in the 2022 offseason, the Nuggets starting lineup took off, playing a well-rounded brand of basketball with an elite starting five. Caldwell-Pope joined Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon in the starting group, and the returns of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. propelled Denver to new heights. Add in the versatility and aggressiveness of Bruce Brown off the bench, and the Nuggets won a championship 11 months later.
Then, in the 2024 offseason, Caldwell-Pope departed. The Nuggets did not want to pay the tax, especially when they felt they had a readymade replacement for KCP waiting in the wings in Christian Braun. Many mocked Denver’s line of thinking here. There was definitely a sense of cheapness, but the belief in Braun was widespread throughout the organization too. Ownership, coaches, and management all believed he could fill the role.
Lo and behold, Christian Braun has filled the role.
Here are Braun’s per game numbers compared to Caldwell-Pope during the 2023-24 NBA season:
There are advantages that KCP still has over Braun as a thief in the passing lanes and a more trusted playmaker for others; however, those areas will develop over time for Braun. Where KCP cannot compare is Braun’s impact on the Nuggets physically. He’s getting downhill, drawing contact, driving into the defense and finishing through people. With as strong as Braun is, it’s not surprising to see Nikola Jokic and others help Braun take advantage of that skill set.
Oh, and Braun’s currently shooting 10% better from the field and from three-point range. I expect defenses to adjust and figure out how to make Braun more uncomfortable over time, but for now, he’s doing a great job with his efficiency. Braun is shooting an impressive 73.5% from within three feet of the basket, capitalizing on the attention Jokic and others draw.
Expanding the comparison beyond just Caldwell-Pope shows an even more favorable place for Braun to be.
There are of course still things Braun can work on and improve on both ends of the floor. The occasional gamble in passing lanes or drawn charge on a drive will help make him a more dangerous and unpredictable defender. The more opportunities he can drive to the rim and spot others on the perimeter will also benefit him offensively. Braun has eight assists to Nikola Jokic on the season and six more to Aaron Gordon. So far, he has just two combined to the rest of the team. Identifying more opportunities for Braun as a playmaker setting the table for Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. should be the next step.
But there’s no doubt that these developmental opportunities are of the detailed variety. The larger picture still paints an impressive job done by Braun and the Nuggets. He’s handled his responsibilities well, playing with the confidence attitude many expected he would show early on. For a while, Braun’s head was down, focused on the work, establishing himself in the NBA. Now, he’s playing with some swagger.
This is a great early development for Denver’s season. There’s less to worry about in the starting lineup than many thought there might be. The Nuggets starters are still excellent. When Jokic, Braun, and MPJ share the floor this year (accounting for the unhealthy moments for Gordon and Murray) the Nuggets have a +18.2 Net Rating in nearly 280 minutes, according to PBP Stats. That trio’s Offensive Rating is an absurd 133.45 when playing together. So much for Denver’s offense struggling with Braun out there.
Can Braun and the Nuggets keep this up for a full 82-game season? Probably not. I expect there to be some regression, some bumps along the way. The Nuggets aren’t perfect, and there will be some bad shooting nights that Braun has to work through and rediscover his shot on the other side.
For now though, things are working better than anyone probably expected.
