Here's Why Nuggets Fans Can Breathe a Sigh of Relief About Christian Braun

Crowded scenes in the Where’s Waldo? books invite the reader to search for a bespectacled, winter-hat-wearing wanderer, hidden among the bustling activities and thronging characters on each page. The fun, of course, is in the hunt—but only if you eventually find him. Otherwise, it was just staring. When you do find him, though, it feels like a relief.

For five games now, I’ve been staring at the NBA hardwood and asking myself: Where’s Braun? That search hasn’t been quite as fun as those in a children’s book. So far this season, Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun seemed to blend into the background of a sea of players on the court. But on Monday night, we finally found him.

Braun finally shows up

This, at long last, looked like the $125 million version of Christian Braun the Nuggets extended back in October. For the first time this season, he played with real confidence. In the first handful of games, Braun didn’t look scared, per se—just indecisive.

Oct 12, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Christian Braun (0) looks to pass the ball against the Los Angeles Clippers during the third quarter at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

On this team, he has more choices than he can count, and he had seemed paralyzed by them. Social scientists call this “choice paralysis.” I call it scrolling Netflix for an hour and then going to bed. Braun apparently calls it an average of 30 minutes on the floor.

I’ll say this, his first five games weren’t disastrous, just forgettable—nothing noticeable: 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 41.5% from the field, 20% from three. Even that 17-point burst against the still winless Pelicans—which drastically boosted his dismal numbers, by the way—felt more like a cameo, not a starting five role.

Christian Braun now being used as a screener with Nikola Jokić in transition.

17 points on 8-of-13 shooting. pic.twitter.com/rNLKfMs70J
— Matt Brooks (@MattBrooksNBA) October 30, 2025

But Monday against Sacramento was different. Braun didn’t wait for the game to come to him—he went to the game. He finished with 21 points in 31 minutes, shooting 7-10 from the field, 1-3 from deep, and 6-9 at the line, alongside 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

But more important than the numbers was the tone—the guy played downhill, hit the fast breaks, made quick decisions, and didn’t second-guess his reads. If there was space, he drove. If there was a man open, he found him. If he drew a foul, he embraced the contact. If there was daylight, he found it.

With Cam Johnson hovering somewhere between invisible and merely present, Denver needs Braun to be more than a hidden piece. This starting lineup can’t afford a Where’s Waldo? character. The Nuggets need Christian to be conspicuous—a guy who pops off the page and makes himself known on the court.

Searching is cute in a children’s book, but in this league, Christian Braun has to stand up and stand out.

Braun finally shows up

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