Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic expectedly led the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of the 2023 NBA Finals past the Miami Heat, 109-94. The surprise from Denver was instead provided by a rookie, with Christian Braun giving his team a big shot in the arm coming off the bench.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone was all praises for the former Kansas Jayhawks star after the game.
“He's everything we hoped for, and more,” Malone said of Braun (via Joel Rush of Forbes Sports).
Braun provided the spark for the Nuggets by scoring 15 of Denver's 19 bench points. He was near-perfect from the field, shooting 7-for-8 from the floor to go with four rebounds an assist, and a steal in 19 minutes of action.
As dependent as the Nuggets are on Murray and Jokic, guys like Braun, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will all have the put together ample contribution behind their star duo.
Although this is just his first year in the pros, Braun is a proven winner. He helped the Jayhawks bring a national title to Lawrence in 2022 when Kansas defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels in the NCAA tournament National Championship Game. A little over a year later, Braun is on the verge of adding the NBA title to his basketball resume.
Braun averaged just 4.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 15.5 minutes per game back in the regular season, but he it could just be a matter of time before he becomes a regular starter for the Nuggets. Sustaining the form he flashed in Game 3 for the rest of the NBA Finals is going to be a big challenge for him but that certainly would be a huge plus for his future.
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