Nuggets Starting to Feel Christian Braun’s Impact Again

The Denver Nuggets have slowly but surely begun to see their fourth-year wing, Christian Braun, return to full health following his ankle sprain earlier this season in November that took him out of the lineup for a multiple-week stretch.

In the Nuggets' latest game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, albeit in a 117-119 loss, Braun easily had his best game since coming back into the lineup 100%––putting together 20 points on 7-13 shooting from the field, had four threes made, and paired it with five rebounds and two assists as a welcomed helping hand for Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.

But it's not just in the stat sheet that Braun has begun to show steady progression following his injury return. Nuggets head coach David Adelman pointed out the strides Braun has made since entering back into the fold before taking on the Cavaliers, where the confidence and explosiveness he's been able to find really stood out most.

"Rapid improvement, I think confidence in his body. The explosion is slowly coming back," Adelman said. "I think for CB this is a great time to push himself through these next three nights and then get a break again," Adelman said. "Hopefully that just continues to heal for him. It really is an injury that just needs time more than rehab or whatever."

Nuggets Seeing Noticeable Progress in Christian Braun

It certainly hasn't been an overnight adjustment for Braun to get back to last season's form. It would even take another month of recovery and sitting on the sidelines after initially returning from his ankle issue at the beginning of January for Braun and the team to feel truly confident in his abilities to be a full go.

But now, the signs are starting to become clear that his aspired explosiveness and confidence are starting to come to fruition for him, and with his style of play that banks on his athleticism and two-way versatility, that explosiveness is a major factor.

And while there's still a bit of discomfort that Braun may have to work through, his presence, at his full form, makes for an awesome addition to the Adelman's rotation; especially while still dealing with a few lingering injuries around the rotation.

"The discomfort part of it is going to be there. I thought defensively, in a few of the games back East, you saw some things he used to do," Adelman said. "The explosion in the fastbreak the other night in Chicago was good to see, the euro-step finish. It wasn’t one where he looked with anxiety to do it, he just took off and went. That’s what he does. It’s such a big part of our transition game, CB really is our runner."

"To get that back is such a big deal and allows us to add another layer to our offense. When Jamal [Murray] found him late in the game, unbelievable outlet pass by Mal. Like I said, seeing the explosion right in front of our bench is such a positive."

Dec 15, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) before the game against the Houston Rockets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Another positive for Braun and the Nuggets: they'll have over a week's rest at their disposal heading into the All-Star Break for his health to improve even further––coming at just the right time before Denver pushes into the home stretch of their playoff run to follow, and hopes to get even better health around their roster that's battled consistent injury all season.

Nuggets Seeing Noticeable Progress in Christian Braun

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