Christian Braun cracks a list of the top-100 NBA players
Feb 27, 2025, 4:22 PM
Denver Nuggets shooting guard Christian Braun is taking a big leap in his third NBA season.
Not only has Braun transitioned nicely into Denver’s starting lineup, replacing the departed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but he’s also scoring the basketball at a level even the most optimistic of Nuggets fans couldn’t have expected.
Braun is averaging 14.9 points per game, including scoring in double-digits in 19 straight contests. Over that span he scored at least 20 points nine times, including hanging 28 on the Chicago Bulls and 26 on the Portland Trail Blazers.
Braun is also a solid defender, is growing as a rebounder and a passer and looks like a legitimate starting guard in the league for years to come.
And while fans locally have taken notice, so is the national media. The Ringer updated its list of the top-100 players in the NBA on Thursday, and Braun cracked it at No. 100. The outlet described Braun as a “hustle junkie with a burgeoning all-around game.”
All you have to do is flip on a Nuggets game for about five minutes to know that Braun’s effort level is through the roof. But he’s turned into more than just a guy who plays really hard, he’s found his scoring touch and is helping the Nuggets win games.
“Braun isn’t just a shooter and cutter drafting off the game’s best playmaker—he’s become part of the engine that makes the Nuggets go,” Rob Mahoney wrote in the story.
Of course, the best playmaker in the NBA is Nikola Jokic, who not surprisingly is ranked No. 1 on the list. Elsewhere, Jamal Murray checked in at N0. 31, Michael Porter Jr. at No. 55 and Aaron Gordon at No. 57. That means that when healthy the entire Nuggets starting lineup is in the top-100 of all NBA players.
Considering there’s 30 teams in the league, the math on that checks out nicely. It’s why at 38-20, many feel Denver can win its second title in three years if things go right in the playoffs.
This is a cool honor for Christian Braun, and shows his growth is getting noticed around the NBA. And it feels like he’s just scratching the surface of the player he can become.
To see the full list, click here.
