Why Christian Braun? Defense, energy and intangibles Denver has been missing

When Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth scouted Christian Braun over the last three years in college, he walked away every time pondering the same question. He knew Braun had two-way potential. He was obviously skilled. But Booth could never quite figure out what position this 6-foot-7 do-it-all athlete who slid between both forwards spots but also logged minutes at guard for Kansas was going to play at the NBA level.

In May, he finally got his answer at the NBA combine.

Booth watched Braun play in two scrimmages at the combine. Braun posted six points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals in his first game at the combine. In scrimmage No. 2, Braun went for 17 points and shot 3-8 from 3-point range to go with four rebounds, one assist and two steals. Throughout the entire week, he showed Booth the type of player he could be in the NBA and the role he could fill on the Nuggets.

“At the combine, you finally got to see that this guy’s a guard. He’s a guard who played the four at Kansas, he played the three, he did whatever he needed to do,” Booth said late-Thursday night after selecting Braun 21st overall in the first round. “He was a 5-foot-8 9th grader, a 6-2 10th grader, 6-5 as an 11th grader. He has a guard background but he’s a big kid.”

It was the final piece of ammunition Booth needed to pencil Braun in as a player the Nuggets could target on draft night. Denver entered this offseason needing to bolster its perimeter defense, and Braun showed at the combine and throughout his three-year run at Kansas that he can be an elite defensive weapon. His motor on that end of the floor doesn’t stop. He’s tenacious on the ball and active and aware off it.

He instantly becomes a top-2 perimeter defender under contract for the Nuggets next season with Aaron Gordon. Braun flies around the court. He registered the second-highest vertical at the combine and was one of the better athletes taken in the first round. Braun’s negative wingspan (6-6 1/2) gave some scouts some pause regarding his ultimate defensive upside but not Booth.

“I know people will reference his wingspan. But to me, length is a catch-all,” said Booth. “This kid’s a big two-guard. He’s 6-7. He’s athletic. He has a 40-inch vertical. He weighs 210-plus pounds. He’s going to fill out more, so I don’t think the wingspan is an issue at all.”

Think of Braun as the first move made by Booth that swings Denver’s focus back towards defense. Now, I don’t expect the Nuggets to all of a sudden become a defensive-first team. Just look at Denver’s top three players entering next season. But the Nuggets want to get bigger, more athletic, and add a few plus-defenders this offseason around their core. Braun definitely checks all three of those boxes.

He’s a versatile offensive player too. Braun isn’t a lights-out sniper from 3 but shot 38.6% from distance on 3.3 attempts per game last season. I have a feeling Michael Malone, who’s going to love Braun by the way, will encourage him to shoot some of the 3s that he passed up at Kansas. Braun also converted 74.9% of his free-throws in college, which gives you confidence about his ability to shoot the 3 going forward. He shot 54.5% from two-point range, a really good mark for a guard and a percentage that gives you a glimpse of how effective he is at attacking the rim.

Braun is a high-IQ player and a selfless ball-mover who’s going to do what it takes to win in a fourth or fifth-option type role. He rebounds it too and pulled down 6.5 boards per game last season. He plays at a sprinter’s pace. He loves to get out on the break — paging Nikola Jokic — and scored 4.5 points per game in transition last season, a top-25 mark in college basketball.

But Braun’s defense is his calling card. He rarely gambles and only committed 1.8 fouls in 34.4 minutes per game last season. He stays in front of his matchup, moves his feet and frustrates opponents easily. From watching his tape, it’s clear he has great fundamentals on closeouts. He also has a fire and edge to his game that’s going to piss a lot of people off. He can be a pest. Nuggets fans will love Braun. Everybody else will probably hate him. He never gets hurt. He never misses games. He’s reliable and will always be available.

Booth admitted Thursday night that he still has work to do this offseason. The championship roster he pledged to build around Jokic is not yet complete. There’s still a defender or two to add. None of the draft picks or signings Denver made Thursday are saving the Nuggets’ season, although Braun has a chance to earn rotation minutes next year as a plus-defender and off-the-bench spark plug that can drain wide-open 3s.

He provides intangibles that Booth thinks the Nuggets have been lacking.

“What Christian Braun does, what we identified, we lost a little bit of it with Paul Millsap,” said Booth. “He did stuff. Jamal Murray does stuff. Christian Braun does stuff. He rebounds. He cuts. He gets chase-down blocks. He does a lot of little things that coaches appreciate. In that sense, I think he’s going to give himself a chance.”