Christian Braun's road to the Nuggets' rotation begins in Las Vegas

Christian Braun scored 12 points and pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds in Kansas’ win over North Carolina in last year’s NCAA Championship game. But when Nuggets coach Michael Malone looks back on Braun’s performance that night, his eyes gloss over those stats and land on another.

“Bill Self didn’t take him out. He played 40 minutes,” Malone said. “How many times has that happened in an NCAA Championship game? That speaks to a great coach in Bill Self trusting a great player for 40 minutes to bring home a championship.”

It’s still very early in Braun’s Nuggets tenure, but you get the feeling that Malone could eventually hold a similar level of trust in Braun that Self had last season. The rookie out of Kansas has great offensive and defensive awareness. He’s a ball-mover who knows how to play his role. He’s a piercing defender. He’s tough. He’s a competitor. He doesn’t back down from any matchup.

Braun also has a physical nature to his game that was on display throughout Denver’s Summer League training camp. If he goes to the rim, he’s going hard. He isn’t one to try and avoid contact. Instead, he seeks it out when he gets into the paint and tries to finish among the trees.

“I love his maturity. I love his IQ,” said Malone. “The things I really love about him most are his toughness and physicality. Some guys shy away from physicality. Christian embraces physicality.”

You get where this is going. Braun is an ultimate Malone-type player and has the makeup of someone that Denver’s coach wants to line his rotation with. Malone was a fan of Braun’s game in college. He met with Braun prior to the draft and came away impressed. But Braun’s also a rookie stepping into a contender that’s ramping up towards a championship-or-bust season. Rookies are rarely able to carve out consistent roles on those teams.

Braun can buck that trend because of his skill-set and intangibles. If his defense translates and he shoots it well enough, there’s a world that exists where Braun becomes a mainstay on Denver’s second unit.

Malone certainly thinks there’s a chance that happens.

“I think his upside and potential are tremendous,” he said. “A guy that can play for us next year.”

Here’s one specific storyline to watch with Braun throughout the Las Vegas showcase: What is his offensive role on this team. We know if he plays for the Nuggets next season he’s going to be a complimentary piece whose primary job will be to sink 3s, defend and make plays around the edges. It’s a job that his skill-set is tailor-made for. But on Denver’s Summer League team, Braun is the top offensive option. He’s the No. 1 guy. There’s no Bones Hyland on this year’s roster. How much exploring Braun does within his own individual offensive game is something to track.

Braun is my No. 1 most intriguing player to watch for the Nuggets at Summer League. How he shapes his own offensive role will be fascinating, but he’s atop my list simply because he’s the only player that Denver’s bringing to Vegas with a path to playing real minutes for the Nuggets next season.

Thirtieth overall pick Peyton Watson is likely headed for a rookie season that’s mostly spent in the G League. Second-round pick Ismael Kamagate is getting stashed in Europe next year. Two-way player Collin Gillespie has a polished enough game to where he probably could play reserve point guard minutes, but at the moment he’s fourth on the depth chart at that position behind Jamal Murray, Hyland and Ish Smith. He’ll likely spend lots of time in the G League this coming season as well. Denver has one two-way slot open, but you can’t expect whoever signs that contract to be in the rotation either.

Summer League is a golden opportunity for Braun to make a lasting impression on Malone and his staff. It can be his first step towards an eventual rotation spot. Denver has touted Braun’s mature floor game and his ability to be a plug-and-play option in many different lineups. Defensively, he can guard all over the floor and should be one of the better defenders in Vegas.

If that’s the player that shows up at Summer League, Braun will put himself in a position to fight for playing time off the bench. I’d think with a standout summer and training camp he could unseat Davon Reed at backup small forward.

The Nuggets open Summer League action Friday vs. the Timberwolves (7 pm MT, NBA TV).

Braun’s first real chance to build on-court trust within the Nuggets and most importantly with Malone is nearly here.