Braun's new contract kicks in this season, and Denver needs the shooting and defense from 2024-25 to come back with it.
Denver decided last October that Christian Braun was worth a five-year, $125 million extension, and this season is the first one where the Denver Nuggets pay for that decision.
The timing could hardly be worse, because the year in between was the roughest of his career and the roster lost depth this summer.
Braun is 25 and the starting spot is still his, but the excuses have run out and the team needs the version of him that earned the deal.
What Went Wrong Last Season
In 2024-25 Braun averaged 15.4 points and 5.2 rebounds in 79 games while shooting 58 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from three.
Last season those numbers fell to 12.0 points and 30.1 percent from three in just 44 games, and most of the damage traces back to the left ankle he sprained against the Los Angeles Clippers in November.
He appeared in only three games between mid-November and early February, and he averaged just 8.3 points in the playoffs while Minnesota beat Denver in six games.
Robert Horry went as far as calling him the most overpaid player in basketball.
The Nuggets still won 54 games and finished third in the West with the best offense in the league, but they ranked 21st in defensive rating, and that points straight at the wings.
Three Things Braun Has to Fix
The first fix is the jumper, because a starting guard next to Nikola Jokic gets open corner threes every night and Braun missed far too many of his 3.3 attempts a game.
He just needs to get back near the 39.7 percent he hit two seasons ago so defenses stop leaving him to load up on Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Then there is the defense, since Peyton Watson is gone and Braun is now the one starter built to chase the other team's best guard, and a team that finished 21st on that end cannot afford him at half speed again.
The last part is the role itself, which means cutting, running the floor and finishing at the rim instead of forcing anything, because that is how he became a starter.
DeMar DeRozan agreed to a one-year deal in August and is now a real threat to the minutes of anyone who starts slowly.
Why Denver's Season Rides on It
Braun sounded ready when he spoke with Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports in July.
"Sometimes it's good to get punched in the mouth a little bit. It's good to have that little setback. Definitely motivated. Definitely excited for the summer. Just got to attack the ankle and make sure the ankle's in a good spot," he said.
Denver made peace with losing Watson and his 14.6 points a game, DeRozan is 37, and Aaron Gordon played only 36 games last season, so a healthy Braun is the cheapest upgrade this roster has.
Training camp opens September 29 and the season opens October 22 at Oklahoma City, and if Braun shoots it like 2024-25 and defends like a starter again, Denver looks like a real contender in the West. If he does not, the Nuggets are paying $25 million a year for a role player, and no trade fixes that quickly.
