Social media goes crazy over possible Dunk of the Year by Christian Braun

The Nuggets took another tough loss on Thursday night in Milwaukee to the Bucks, but for a brief moment late in the fourth quarter, Christian Braun completely stole the show and sent social media into an uproar.

Denver was fading fast, down 12 with just under four minutes left, they badly needed a spark and Braun was able to provide it. He got the ball on the left wing on a dribble-hand-off from Nikola Jokic and kept driving to his right with a full head of steam.

His defender, Damian Lillard was lost in back-to-back screens and Braun saw a clear runway except for the Bucks’ center Brook Lopez. Lopez came over to contest Braun at the rim and he ended up on the wrong end of a poster for the ages.

Braun cocked it way back with his right hand and threw it down hard all over Lopez, drawing a foul for the and-one in the process as he was knocked to the ground. Brook has been one of the best rim protectors in the league and appeared to be in great position.

But none of that mattered and perhaps he wasn’t exactly familiar with Braun’s level of bounce. Christian got up and climbed Splash Mountain, absolutely detonating for one of the best poster dunks of the season across the entire NBA.

Braun is key to Nuggets’ playoff chances

This dunk was an incredible highlight that caught the attention of the NBA world, but he’s been gaining traction for a number of reasons this season. He has been an outstanding fit into Denver’s starting lineup and has improved his game in multiple areas, vaulting himself into consideration for the Most Improved Player of the Year Award.

Braun is a crucial source of rim pressure for the Nuggets as well as an elite scorer in the paint and in transition, especially for a guard. He has also become one of the team’s best perimeter defenders and will be tasked with guarding star players throughout the playoffs.

On top of that, he needs to be able to space the floor and he can’t be afraid to let it fly from three when he’s open. Three-point shooting volume has been a weakness for the Nuggets all year and Braun is a guy that teams are going to dare to beat them from outside.

How much he’s able to step up and be a reliable two-way player come playoff time will go a long way in determining the team’s ultimate fate.