Bruce Brown sends message to Denver Nuggets after joining Pacers

Former Denver Nuggets guard Bruce Brown officially said goodbye to the Mile-High City on Tuesday morning. Brown took to Instagram to share a goodbye post, showering thanks to those that he encountered during his short stint with the Nuggets.

“DENVER! To my teammate and coaches I appreciate the year we had together couldn’t ask for a better group to be around 24/7 love y’all,” Brown wrote (h/t DNVR Nuggets). “To the fans, thank you for the love and support throughout this year [I] never felt anything like that before! Also, to all the friends I made in the city, I will definitely miss the laughs and just the great vibes we always had! ALL LOVE [HEART EMOJI] BRUCIE B OUT!!”

Bruce Brown’s exit leaves the Denver Nuggets with a depth issue

Brown joined the Indiana Pacers as a free agent this summer, signing a two-year, $45 million deal. The Massachusetts native’s new contract included a team option for the second season, so he very well could hit the market again next summer, leaving the door open to a potential return to Denver.

However, for the time being, the Nuggets are looking at a bit of a depth issue. Brown played a key role in the team’s championship run last season.

He appeared in all 20 of Denver’s postseason matchups, playing about 26.5 minutes each time. In those minutes, Brown averaged 12.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 51.1% from the field and 31.6% from beyond the arc.

Pair his departure with Jeff Green’s, then throw in Vlatko Cancar’s torn ACL, and you’ve got yourself a thin bench.

With extra minutes up for grabs, it feels like this upcoming campaign could be a big one for Christian Braun. The second-year forward is poised for a larger role and could make a nice leap after a solid rookie season. Braun appeared in 76 games for the Nuggets last season. He scored 4.7 points per game while shooting 49.5% overall and 35.4% from distance. If he’s able to hold his own defensively, then he could serve as the solution to the team’s depth issue.