Bruce Brown Says Sky's the Limit for Nuggets' Rising Star

Bruce Brown is rolling into his second stint with the Denver Nuggets this season as part of a slightly tweaked roster than the state it was left following his departure in 2023. But for the most part, the core components of that previous group are still intact.

In the starting five, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon are still leading the way, joined by new addition Cam Johnson, who joins from the Brooklyn Nets after trading away Michael Porter Jr. The final piece of that starting five puzzle for the Nuggets: fourth-year guard Christian Braun, of course, also a name who's also been on board throughout the time that Brown left and returned to Denver.

However, since then, the now fourth-year wing in Braun has been refined into a much fuller, impactful player, emerging into a nightly starter and key playmaker for this roster on both ends of the floor and becoming a vital piece of the Nuggets' future endeavors.

Bruce Brown, though, is far from surprised about Braun's emergence. In fact, he says he already foresaw his rise into the player he is today back when the two were on the same Nuggets roster for Braun's rookie year.

"Everything he's done, I said rookie year that he could do," Brown said of Christian Braun after the Nuggets' first training camp practice. "I literally said he could do what he's doing now. So, I'm not surprised at all. He just needed more confidence and more time out there on the floor. The sky's the limit for that guy."

Jun 4, 2023; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Bruce Brown (11) high fives guard Christian Braun (0) after a play against the Miami Heat during the second quarter in game two of the 2023 NBA Finals at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Last season, Braun finished averaging over double the amount of points per night he did the year prior (7.3 to 15.4 PPG), while also posting a career-high in every other major counting stat on 58.0% shooting from the field and nearly 40.0% from three. A true breakout for the first round pick from three summers ago.

Brown saw the signs early, noting that the first day he got into Denver to play pickup, the flashes of his rise to his current state were already showing.

"When he first got in," Brown said. "Playing pickup, he would show flashes, but he still wasn't confident in his game yet, because he was obviously new to the NBA. But, [I knew] very early."

This season, the stakes will be even higher for Braun. It's his fourth season in the league on another Nuggets roster with steep championship expectations, and he'll be in a contract year set to hit restricted free agency next summer. To say this season is critical for him to capitalize on would be an understatement.

But clearly Bruce Brown, among many, is confident in what he'll have in store for the season ahead– a feeling he's seemingly had the second he walked through the doors.

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