He received high praise for that performance from Jokic, who said Braun "won us the game" after guys were struggling to put points on the board. He was a key figure in breaking Miami's zone defense in that game, making great off-ball cuts to the rim, and attacking on closeouts when the ball swung to him. With 15 points on 7 of 8 from the field, Braun became just the fourth rookie in the last 20 years with a 15-point performance in the Finals. While Braun didn't have quite the same level of impact as guys like Russell and Johnson did on their title teams as rookies, the former Kansas product did have his moment during this championship run in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Braun joins Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Henry Bibby and Billy Thompson as the only players to accomplish that feat. He was then drafted 21st overall by the Nuggets in the 2022 NBA Draft, and after a rookie season that saw him appear in 76 games, he joins a short list of players who have won at the college level and in the NBA in consecutive years. Rookie guard Christian Braun joined an elite group of names after the final buzzer sounded and the Nuggets were crowned champions, becoming just the fifth player in league history to win an NBA title and NCAA championship in back-to-back years.īraun was a starter on the University of Kansas team that won a championship in 2022, overcoming the largest deficit in NCAA title game history to help capture the Jayhawks' fourth men's basketball title. Nikola Jokic was named Finals MVP after putting together a historic playoff run, but he's not the only Nuggets player who made history en route to Denver's championship. He's won at every level.It finally happened - the Denver Nuggets have won an NBA championship after beating the Miami Heat, 94-89, in Game 5 Monday night to close out the series. Only five players in NBA history have won a championship the year after winning an NCAA title. The Denver Nuggets selected the 6’6 junior wing with. “He's been in the rotation throughout these 18 playoff games now, and if you look around, there's not many rookies playing meaningful minutes in the NBA this time of year, and it speaks to Christian's confidence. Christian Braun caught the eye of NBA evaluators when he emerged as a key player on the Kansas Jayhawks’ 2022 national championship team. “Christian has proved himself all year long, and he was in the rotation end of season,” Malone said. He played 15.5 minutes and scored 4.7 points and grabbed 2.4 rebounds per game during the regular season, but benches get shorter in the playoffs and reserves don’t get as much playing time. He also played on three consecutive high school state championship teams at Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kansas) and was named the state’s Mr. “It was really fun to watch a young man step up like the way Christian did tonight."īraun played college basketball at Kansas for three seasons and was a significant contributor to the Jayhawks’ 2022 championship team, collecting 12 points and 12 rebounds in the title game against North Carolina. “I could just feel the confidence kind of oozing out of him, the physical aggressive drives, making plays for guys against their zone,” Malone said. He scored five consecutive points early in the fourth quarter, putting the Heat in a 93-72 hole, and he had six points in the final 2:37 of the third quarter, helping the Nuggets to an 82-68 lead headed into the final quarter.īraun got his points cutting and driving to the rim, and two of them came on a dunk after he stole a pass. Aggressive, strong, physical, confident, and his 15 and four (rebounds) off the bench in 19 minutes were very, very impactful.”īraun had two strong stretches in the second half that helped Denver finish off Miami. “I have to give Christian a lot of love,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. The Nuggets needed help off the bench and another scorer because Michael Porter Jr. His previous high was nine points against Minnesota in the first round.īraun entered Game 3 averaging 2.4 points in 11.8 minutes in the playoffs and played just under 24 minutes in the first two games of the Finals. If Denver takes two more games from the Heat, Braun will join Bill. 21 pick in the 2022 draft, had his best game of the playoffs, reaching double-figures in points in the postseason for the first time in his career. The Nuggets drafted Braun 21st overall, and he has now played more playoff minutes than any other rookie in his class. it's the NBA Finals, so if your name is called, you know you've got to be ready.”īraun, the No. “Playing with Nikola (Jokic), playing with Jamal (Murray), whoever it is, just got to be ready for the ball, and today they found me in some pretty easy spots. “My job is just to be ready when my name is called,” Braun said. He had 11 of his 15 points in Game 3 in the second half of Denver’s 109-94 victory, helping push the Nuggets to a 2-1 series lead. He more than doubled his point production Wednesday. MIAMI - Denver Nuggets rookie reserve Christian Braun had six points through the first two games of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.
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