The Denver Nuggets made a difficult decision to move on from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope this offseason and there were instant concerns about who would step into the starting lineup for the Mile High Crew. KCP was crucial for the 2023 NBA championship team, but Christian Braun proved that he can have the same impact on Sunday night against his former teammate.
Despite Coach Michael Malone not awarding the starting SG spot to Braun right away, also indicating that 2nd-year guard Julian Strawther could fight for the starting spot, the former Jayhawk has been a blessing in disguise for Denver. Braun has been fantastic for the majority of the year for the Nuggets, but Orlando may be having some buyer’s remorse with KCP.
Caldwell-Pope’s shooting has fallen off a cliff this season for the Magic, as he is averaging just 9.1 PPG on a well-below-average 31.6% shooting from beyond the arc. This is after KCP averaged double-digit scoring numbers in each of his seasons with Denver to go along with 41.5% shooting on three-pointers. On Sunday night against Braun, he also struggled.
Braun records an impressive double-double and game-high in points against Orlando
Facing off with one of his mentors likely had Braun locked in from the tip-off, but he was excelling in all aspects of the game. The 6’6” wing dropped 20 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in his 36 minutes, also securing a +22 +/- in the process, which led all players in the game. The Nuggets ultimately beat the Magic 113-100 behind Braun’s masterpiece.
As for KCP, he shot a disappointing 4/14 from the field and 2/7 from deep, guarded by Braun for a good portion of the game. The younger player certainly played with more energy on the night, continuing his prowess for fast break points and transition plays. In fact, Braun is still tied for 3rd in the entire NBA in fast break points per game at 4.8.
So far this season, Braun has fit in perfectly to the Nuggets starting five and has seen his role ebb and flow based on which other Denver players are healthy and in the lineup or out due to injury or sickness. His performance this season is about as good of an outcome as Nuggets fans could have asked for and the Nuggets are just two games out of the 2nd seed in the west.
Braun will get his next opportunity to impress on Tuesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Mile High City.