Nuggets newest starter failing to impress in preseason action

Much has been made about the Nuggets’ starting lineup and who will take the spot vacated by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The team had consistency, starting the same five for more than two years, including during their 2023 championship run.

But with KCP departing in free agency for the Orlando Magic, the lineup will need to change one way or another. There were a few options for that final spot; notably Christian Braun, Julian Strawther, and Russell Westbrook.

Any of those players could conceivably fit into the starting lineup as the other guard next to Jamal Murray. Braun seemed the most logical choice. He has the most pedigree with the Nuggets and fits the position well. He has logged big minutes for the team in the playoffs off the bench and mostly played well.

Westbrook has the most NBA pedigree, but he’s well past his prime and is best suited as a point guard, which would overlap with Murray; Russ seems best utilized as a sixth man. Strawther provides an intriguing option as he’s the best shooter and would add much-needed spacing to the starting unit.

But Strawther is still completely unproven as an NBA player and a backcourt pairing of Murray and Strawther may have trouble holding up defensively. Strawther has looked good, but at this point in his career, he is probably still best suited for a bench role.

So, all signs point to Braun starting; that’s what Calvin Booth indicated over the summer and Malone has basically echoed those sentiments through the preseason. It seems almost certain that Braun will get the first crack at the job.

Braun struggling mightily to shoot 3-pointers

But so far, the early returns haven’t been great. Braun has been a good shooter on limited volume, but now the Nuggets need him to fire a lot more. Through four preseason games, Braun has scored just 31 points on 11/31 shooting.

Perhaps most concerning though is that Braun has made just one three-pointer through the four games. The team desperately needs more three-point shooting and some of that has to come from Braun. But he has put up just 13 attempts and only one has fallen.

It’s still a very small sample size, but this is absolutely going to have to change for the Nuggets to be successful. Braun has had some nice moments on the defensive end and looks like he can be a stopper on the perimeter. But if he can’t hit threes efficiently, the team may need to make a change and give Strawther a chance sooner rather than later.