One Nuggets Player Is Already Flipping the Script at Training Camp

The Denver Nuggets' 2025-26 campaign was ravaged by injuries, but things are looking up ahead of the new season. Most notably, standouts like Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson, and Christian Braun missed significant time last season, but all three are looking healthy and ready to go after the first week of training camp and the first pair of preseason games.

It looks like Braun, especially, is tracking to have a breakout year. Last season, Braun played just 44 games, and even when he was on the court, he did not look healthy. Braun seemed to lack his usual explosiveness, and shooting a career-low 30.1% from three-point range certainly didn't help.

By the playoffs, Braun was the most criticized player on the Nuggets roster. He was extremely underwhelming when it mattered and went into the offseason with fans calling for him to be traded, if his overly lucrative contract even allowed it.

Christian Braun's explosiveness is returning

Fortunately, Braun is flipping the script in training camp and preseason. The 25-year-old guard looks as explosive as the Nuggets need him to be, and it could result in a huge turnaround season. At training camp last week, Braun spoke about regaining his explosiveness.

"I jump off my left leg, and [the injury] was my left ankle. And I've jumped specifically off my left leg my whole life. A lot of it was kind of learning how to do different things. Maybe jump off two feet. Maybe play off your right leg. And you could see, sometimes my timing was just way off," he said. "... It will be good for me in the long run. Your explosion comes back slowly, and I think we're getting really, really close. I worked really hard this summer on it ... I think I'm in a good spot and I feel really good."

Christian Braun on regaining his explosion 🗣️

"I jump off my left leg, and it was my left ankle. And I've jumped specifically off my left ankle my whole life."

"Your explosion comes back slowly, and I think we're getting really, really close." pic.twitter.com/KhOCzIEs08
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) October 2, 2026

While Braun's numbers over the first two preseason games do not jump off the page, dropping just 11 total points with seven rebounds and shooting 5-11 from the field, he looked much more like himself. We can still expect him to need some time before he looks like the version we saw in the 2024-25 season, but things are trending in the right direction.

Improved ball-handling

Not only is Braun getting his feet back under him, but he is also improving as a ball-handler. Early into training camp, Nuggets All-Star point guard Jamal Murray praised Braun's improved ball-handling, which is huge for this Denver team that needs extra help there.

"Guys are getting more comfortable bringing up the ball with pressure ... CB's actually gotten much better just handling the ball," Murray said.

Jamal Murray says Christian Braun has gotten "much better" as a ball handler 🗣️

"Guys are getting more comfortable brining up the ball vs. pressure." pic.twitter.com/DqsV0E3Qil
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) September 30, 2026

Braun responded to Murray's comment, saying that he has been working on his ball-handling this offseason, as he does every summer. Braun also said that he is comfortable handling the ball and actually setting up the offense to take some pressure off Murray.

A healthy Braun, with optimistically improved explosiveness and ball-handling, should be in for a big season. Entering the first season of his five-year, $125 million contract, the Nuggets need Braun to step up, and hopefully last season's injuries do not impact him any further.

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