Summer League Notebook: The buzz on Christian Braun, Peyton Watson after two games

Here’s the latest from Summer League on Christian Braun, Peyton Watson and other notes on the Nuggets’ roster.

Can Christian Braun play rotation minutes next season?

Here’s the Nuggets’ depth chart as I see it right now:

PG: Jamal Murray, Bones Hyland, Ish Smith, Collin Gillespie

SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown, Christian Braun

SF: Michael Porter Jr., Davon Reed, Vlatko Cancar, Peyton Watson

PF: Aaron Gordon, Jeff Green, Zeke Nnaji

C: Nikola Jokic, DeAndre Jordan

*There’s a very strong possibility that Jeff Green logs some of his minutes at backup center.

The one rotation spot I could see up for grabs is backup small forward. I think Davon Reed enters camp as the favorite for those minutes, but I’m not ruling out Braun jumping him in the depth chart. Even though the Nuggets see Braun as a guard, a way to get him on the floor could be at the three.

Michael Malone loves him. Braun’s physicality and motor are elite. He’s such a tough kid. If he can shoot it, which he hasn’t done so far at Summer League, and continues to play well-rounded basketball I could see him playing himself into a rotation spot and overtaking Reed. The buzz here in Vegas is just that. Ultimately, you’d be surprised if it happens because Braun’s a rookie and Reed is established, but I think it’s on the table.

Braun is shooting just 1-15 from 3-point range through two games but a healthy 11-20 on two’s. His defense has also been great. On Sunday, he held his former Kansas teammate and the No. 14 pick in the draft Ochai Agbaji to 8 points on 3-11 shooting. He’s an expert cutter and off-ball mover too. He’s just a smart basketball player who knows how to operate and read the game. He has taken care of the ball and stayed within his refined, secondary role, which is similar to the one he’d be playing on the Nuggets next season.

“I’m not a guy who needs a play-call for me,” Braun said over the weekend.

The Nuggets looked at Braun in the draft as someone with an extremely high floor. It’s partly why I believe they zeroed in on him as their target at No. 21. Denver remains very high on the rookie.

Peyton Watson’s maturity is showing

Watson is a 19-year-old rookie with two Summer League games under his belt, but we’re already getting a bit of insight into his personality and professionalism.

Watson always leads the breakdown in the Nuggets’ practice huddles. In Denver’s team meeting following its opening Summer League game, Watson was vocal, self-critical and wanted to address and discuss where he and his teammates fell short in their loss to Minnesota.

“He’s very eager to talk and share his thoughts,” Summer League coach Ryan Bowen said.

In between the lines, Watson had a big-time bounce-back performance Sunday. After shooting only 4-13 from the floor and turning the ball over six times Friday vs. Minnesota, he was the Nuggets’ best player in their win over the Cavs. He shot 8-12 from the field, sank a big fourth-quarter corner 3 and played with the energy and motor that a lot of people close to the Nuggets thought he lacked in the opener. Denver was not pleased with how Watson played nor his defense in his debut.

I’m a big fan of how Watson carries himself. He’s confident, but you can tell he’s driven and plays with a massive chip on his shoulder. He has big expectations for himself. So does Calvin Booth, who is Watson’s biggest backer in the Nuggets’ front office.

“They see me as someone who can be First Team All-Defense pretty soon in this league,” Watson said of the Nuggets. “That’s something that I’m grinding towards. I can’t wait until I get to that level and prove to people that I’m one of the elite defenders in this league.”

I still think Watson logs most of his minutes in the G League next season, but his breakout game on Sunday was integral for his confidence going forward.

Where does the 2-way competition stand?

I’ve written that Matt Mitchell was the favorite for Denver’s second 2-way contract heading to Vegas, but I don’t think he or any of his competitors have done much to separate themselves through two games. Mitchell, who started both games for Denver, has looked good defensively, but I just don’t know if he’s an NBA player. Adonis Arms has the tools and the measurables of an NBA guard, but he hasn’t found a ton of consistency with his play or minutes. With Arms, I actually can squint and see an NBA player there.

Jack White is an elite Summer League glue guy, but at 6-foot-5 I’m not sure what he is at the NBA level. He did help himself last weekend, however. His 15 rebounds in 21 minutes vs. Cleveland had people talking. White came into Summer League as the darkhorse for the second 2-way slot and I think his stock is up. Mitchell and Arms’ stocks feel like they’re stagnant.

I wonder if the Nuggets look outside the organization for that second 2-way. There’s certainly a surplus of prospects in Vegas to scout and get a feel for and is something, I’m told, that Denver is considering.

Ismael Kamagte hype

There’s a lot of excitement about Kamagate within the Nuggets and he’s exceeded my personal expectations already. It’s just so easy to project him going forward. After Kamagate spends next season abroad in Europe, which I believe is still the plan, it’s exciting to think about the player he could come back to Denver the next season as. I think at that point he’d be ready to be the Nuggets’ backup center.

Kamagate has an NBA body right now. He’s strong and physical. He attacks the offensive glass and knows how to play his role. Finding a pick-and-roll center who will be a very good rim protector — Kamagate has two blocks on Sunday — at the 46th overall pick is massive.