There is a lot of pressure on the Denver Nuggets this season as they look to bounce back from a disappointing playoff outing where they lost in round one to the lower-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Nuggets haven’t been out of the second round since winning the championship in 2023.

While the entire team faces pressure, there is perhaps the most pressure individually on Christian Braun.

Braun signed a five-year, $125 million extension in the 2025 offseason after proving himself as a starter and averaging 15.4 points on 58% shooting and 39% from three in 2024-25.

Last year, his scoring dropped to 12 points on 51% from the field and 30% from three.

There was some grace last season as it was the final year of his rookie contract. This year, his new contract kicks in and he’s being paid like a top starter.

During training camp, Jamal Murray noted that Braun has improved as a ball handler and at bringing the ball up the court while under pressure.

Braun believes he’s improved in that area as well, saying he had a healthy summer and played more pickup.

He said that he’s more comfortable with the ball in his hands.

Braun was in the 43rd percentile as a creator last season and in the 35th percentile when it came to the load he carried.

Ball-handling isn’t necessarily just ISOing and creating your own shot off the dribble. It’s acting as a safety valve when there is pressure on Murray or Nikola Jokic, and taking advantage of four-on-three situations or imbalanced floors.

Denver’s biggest hope for Braun is that he returns to being a 39% three-point shooter, as that would tremendously help their offense and help him bounce back.

But if he can prove to be a reliable ball-handler, that would take pressure off Jokic and Murray, especially in the wake of their injury issues last season.

Aaron Gordon has shown the ability to create for himself and others, and is the main safety valve for Murray and Jokic; Peyton Watson took some pressure off of them last season, creating plenty for himself.

Watson is gone, and Gordon has been banged up in recent seasons.

Braun being able to take advantage of advantage situations and either finding a way to the basket or making the right read off the pass will make Denver’s offense that much more potent and give Murray and Jokic a bit of a break, leaving them more energy for late-game situations.