After a breakout season in 2024-25, in which the Denver Nuggets saw Christian Braun latch onto the starting shooting guard spot and run with it, they rewarded him with a five-year, $125 million contract extension. Hindsight's 20/20, of course. But Braun can still gain back some, or most of that value with a return to form. But he's got a steep hill to climb to get there.
It's clearly evident that the Nuggets overpaid Braun, potentially by a lot. Based on HoopsHype's list of the top 27 shooting guards in the NBA, Braun came in at a lowly 26th. At least he's on the list?
Braun has a long way to go to prove his value
Braun is set to make $21.5 million this year, the first season of his extension. Now, that list does not include value as the definition of Braun's rank. He is simply that far down the list based on his putrid performance last year and his expected performance this year. Braun regressed from 15.4 points per game and a 39.7% shooting percentage from beyond the arc in 2024-25 to 12.0 points and a lackluster 30.1% from deep in 2025-26.
Yes, we all know Braun was injured last season, and he never fully recovered from the left ankle sprain he suffered early on in the season. But he'll be fully healthy to start the 2026-27 campaign. However, you have to move up the list to the 19th spot to find someone making more money than Braun this season. Moreover, Braun is the 10th highest-paid player on the list. That might even be more than a steep hill to climb to gain his value back.
Braun can regain value by stepping up on defense and returning to form
But there's still hope. One of the key ways Braun provided value for the Nuggets two years ago was on the fast break. He led the NBA at 5.1 points per game, and he scored 70 more total points than any other player in the league. But with Braun limited last year, that fell to 3.8 points per game. Braun is a key cog in the Nuggets' transition game.
Braun also regressed defensively across the board last year. He took over for defensive specialist Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in 2024-25, and he took on opponents' number-one option on the second-most possessions of any defender. Braun wasn't KCP-good, but he averaged 1.1 steals per game as the Nuggets' lead defender. That dropped to just 0.7 last year.
Braun has a long way to go to climb back up the shooting guard rankings, but if he just returns to form, he'll be a lot better off. And the Nuggets will be too.
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