The red-hot Denver Nuggets (10-3) suffered an injury setback last Wednesday when Christian Braun, the starting shooting guard, went down with an ankle injury. With Braun expected to miss at least six weeks of action, the Nuggets could use more depth at the guard spot. According to insider Matt Moore, the Calvin Booth-led front office began scouring the league for a backup guard even before Braun got hurt.

“The Nuggets are said to be actively looking for a point guard who can add shooting, even before Christian Braun’s ankle injury, which will keep him out six weeks,” Moore reported on Fansided.

Braun, arguably Denver's best perimeter defender this season, shot 21.4% from three through 11 games, while averaging 11.4 points. Those numbers are drastically down from last year, when the Kansas alum shot a career-high 39.7% from three. As such, it's not exactly surprising that the Nuggets were seeking additional backcourt shooting even before his injury.

Christian Braun not easy to replace

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While Braun's offensive production will be easier to fill, given that offseason pickups Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown have been excelling in their roles, his defense will be greatly missed by the Nuggets. Through his 11 starts, Braun routinely guarded the opposition's best wing scorer, holding the likes of Zach LaVine (16.7%), Norman Powell (14.3%), and Jonathan Kuminga (25%) to subpar numbers. Braun also did a number on Stephen Curry in the two matchups between the Nuggets and Warriors earlier this season.

There's a reason Braun ranks second in defensive rating (107.4) and third in net rating (10.9) among all Nuggets starters, while also doing the dirty work for David Adelman's team on a nightly basis.

So, who exactly can the Nuggets pursue in the trade market to fill the void left by Braun?

Orlando Magic's Tyus Jones fits the criteria of a backup point guard who can shoot, and so does Scotty Pippen Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies. The Nuggets could also consider veteran Kings guard Dennis Schroder, who could be on the market, per The Athletic's Sam Amick.