24-year-old Denver Nuggets star receives huge praise from Nikola Jokic after Game 7 win.
Despite dealing with the firing of head coach Michael Malone days before the 2025 NBA playoffs, the Denver Nuggets didn’t allow it to impact their concentration.
It was proven as they came out on top of the Los Angeles Clippers after battling it out in a gruesome seven-game opening-round series.
While the likes of Russell Westbrook and Jamal Murray played their roles well throughout the series, team captain Nikola Jokic ensured to give another key Nuggets player his flowers.
Photo by Tyler McFarland/Clarkson Creative/Getty ImagesNikola Jokic on Christian Braun
In the crucial Game 7, six Nuggets players finished the game in double-digit scoring, including third-year guard Christian Braun.
While Braun’s scoring certainly helped the Nuggets advance to the second round, Jokic praised the 24-year-old for one of his underrated qualities.
“A winner, we know that he is. A 50-50 player, the ball is always in his hands, in all the dirty, all the small plays you want guys to get,” Jokic said.
He added: “Decision making much better, shooting the ball… We believe in him. He is aggressive, he is annoying, he knows what to do, and he accepts the role because he’s a winner like I said.”
To put things into perspective, Braun shot more than 50% for the third straight game and it’s evident that he has worked on his shooting percentage.
Bruan has taken a leap this season
Although Braun was a member of the Nuggets’ 2023 NBA Championship-winning roster, he was still a rookie at the time.
While Braun had a solid sophomore season as well, he truly took a leap to the next level this season. Braun averaged 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 58.0% from the field and 39.7% from the three-point line.
Braun’s numbers have somewhat dipped in the playoffs, but he still contributed 12.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game in the first round.
It’s evident that Braun will play a key role if the Nuggets want to lift the illustrious Larry O’Brien trophy at the end of the postseason.