Josh Kroenke didn’t waste any time setting the tone for next season. As soon as he took the podium in Denver earlier this month to address Tim Connelly’s sudden departure to Minnesota, Kroenke made sure to reiterate what the Nuggets’ mentality is entering a year where internal expectations are higher than ever.
“It’s championship or bust,” Kroenke said. “It’s the first time those words have been uttered around these halls.”
That mentality has already rubbed off on the Nuggets’ 2022 draft class, which was introduced Monday at Ball Arena. Denver selected Kansas’ Christian Braun 21st overall, UCLA’s Peyton Watson at No. 30, and Ismael Kamagate, a 6-11 center who will play overseas next season, in the second round. Braun, who out of all three draft picks has the most realistic chance to earn rotation minutes at the start of next season, is already aligned with Denver’s top organizational objective.
“All of our goals is to go out and win an NBA championship now,” said Braun. “That’s what from today forward I’m going to be working towards. We’re all excited to work towards that goal.”
“We’re ready to win now. We’ve got a two-time MVP.”
Braun knows all about winning. At Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Kansas, he led the Huskies to three-straight Class 6A state championships. As a senior, Braun averaged 28 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists per game. He was so good that Blue Valley Northwest declared April 4, 2022, Christian Braun day.
Braun then amassed an 83-18 regular-season record over three seasons at Kansas. Last year, Braun, along with No. 14th overall pick Ochai Agbaji led Kansas to the NCAA national championship. Braun played a team-most 40 minutes in the title game and finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists.
He’s excited to grow his game in Denver and tally a lot more wins next to the back-to-back MVP.
“He makes everybody on the court look better than they are. He makes everybody better every time he steps on the court,” Braun said of Jokic. “He’s the two-time MVP for a reason. He’s one of the best players in the league, so I’m excited to get on the court with a guy like that. Obviously, we’re going to get to learn a lot from him. He’s obviously very knowledgeable about the game. He’s a guy that just affects every part of the game and controls every part of the game. It’s going to be awesome to be able to learn from a guy like that.”
Braun’s path to rotation minutes is clear, and some within the Nuggets’ organization hold the belief that Kansas’ offense wasn’t run in a way that maximized his skill-set. Braun’s going to mostly play his natural position of shooting guard with the Nuggets after flexing between both forward spots at Kansas. Playing alongside the offensive talent that’s already in Denver will also present him with more wide-open 3-point attempts than he saw in college.
There’s opportunity for Braun too just based on the Nuggets’ depth chart. Behind Will Barton, who I think the Nuggets will try hard to move this summer, Denver doesn’t have another natural shooting guard under contract for next season. Braun also has ideal size for a two-guard at 6-foot-7 and is a multiple-effort two-way player. He fits the mold of the exact type of role player that the Nuggets want to keep adding to their roster. Denver can’t count on him to be a real difference-maker as a rookie, but there’s hope his defense and motor can provide a spark.
Watson’s and Kamagate’s path to minutes will likely be revisited next season. Kamagate is lined up to play in France again next year. Much of Watson’s rookie year development will likely come in the G League. The Nuggets will get their first glimpse of all three rookies at Summer League beginning July 8 vs. Minnesota.
It’s another locale where the Nuggets’ newcomers are planning to represent the organization’s ‘championship or bust’ mindset.
“The priority is to win more than anything,” Watson said of Summer League. “Go out there, be cohesive as a team, and get some wins under our belt. Obviously, we’re all looking to work on different parts of our game and showcase what we can do. But the main goal is to win and we want to set the tone for the entire season.”
“You start winning now, you start building that chemistry.”
