Thank you Jokic! Is the 24-year-old Braun worth 30 million?

In the preseason, the Nuggets defeated the Clippers 102-94.

In this game, one of the main players of the Nuggets, Christian Bryan, once again delivered an efficient performance: he played 23 minutes, 4 of 5 shots, 3 of 4 three-pointers, 11 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists. His plus-minus value was +9, the highest among the team's starters (everyone else was negative).

This is the Nuggets' third preseason game this year. In the previous two games, Braun never missed a shot:

- Against the Timberwolves, played 15 minutes, made 2 of 2 shots, scored 7 points and 3 rebounds

- Against the Raptors, he played 22 minutes, made 8 of 8 shots, scored 19 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals

After three games, Braun made 14 of 15 shots, averaging 12.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. His field goal percentage was as high as 93.3%, his true shooting percentage was 110.4%, and his efficiency was quite explosive.

Of course, this is only the preseason, and the sample is very small, but Braun's progress really deserves more attention.

As the 21st pick in the first round of the 2022 class, Braun was fortunate enough to win the championship with the Nuggets in his rookie season. It needs to be said that even as a rookie, Braun averaged 13 minutes per game in the playoffs that year. Against the Heat in G3 of the Finals, Braun even made 7 of 8 in a single game and scored 15 points, becoming a Nuggets surprise player.

In his sophomore season, Braun got more opportunities, but he was still positioned as the team's substitute. In the 82 games he played in the regular season, he was a substitute in 78 games. He averaged only 20.2 minutes per game, 7.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

Until last season, due to the departure of Pope, Braun got more opportunities. He played a total of 79 games, 77 of which were starts. He averaged 33.9 minutes per game, 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. His shooting percentage was as high as 58.0%. Due to his huge progress, Braun also ranked fourth among the most improved players.

In the playoffs, although the Nuggets were eliminated in the second round, Bryan averaged 12.6 points per game, and he performed very well in the most critical games (three life-and-death games):

——First appearance Round G7, 8 of 15 shots, 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists

——Second round G6, 8 of 14 shots, 23 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists

——Second round G7, 14 shots 7. Got 19 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists

Braun is 1.98 meters tall. He has excellent athletic talent, physical condition, and finishing ability, and has top-notch sense of smell without the ball and cutting ability. This is Braun's most valuable asset on the offensive end. He knows how to read Jokic's support in the high post and always appears in the right position. To a certain extent, he is the biggest beneficiary of the Nuggets' "Jokic system".

On the defensive end, Brian is always full of energy, and has the mental attributes to become an excellent defensive player: active, focused, tough and not afraid of confrontation. He can defend positions one to three. He is the Nuggets' perimeter defender and often has to face off against the opponent's perimeter offensive leaders, such as Edwards, Harden, Alexander and others.

Of course, Braun also has some shortcomings:

1. Unstable outside shooting. Although his three-point shooting percentage reached 39.7% last season, he only averaged 2.8 shots per game, and most of them were open three-pointers. Once a defender stands in front of him, Braun is likely to choose to pass the ball or not take a shot

2. Lack of independent offensive ability. Obviously, Braun is a terminator on the offensive end, not an initiator with the ball. His dribbling skills are not He is not outstanding, so it is difficult to create shooting opportunities for himself or his teammates through dribbling, and his positioning is relatively limited

3. It is difficult to swing upward defensively. Although he is very active and tough, due to height and body restrictions, Braun is unable to face taller players. A big forward player may suffer a loss

Since he is a rookie in the 2022 class, Braun is also facing an early contract extension this summer, but he and the Nuggets have not reached an agreement. The latest news is that the famous reporter Jake Fischer reported that Braun's next contract is expected to have an annual salary of $25 million to $30 million.

Bobby Marks, a well-known ESPN salary expert, also said this about Braun: "His (Braun's) contract extension is at least US$30 million per year."

At this point, many people may be thinking: Is Braun worth so much?

Yes, you read that right. Although a large part of Braun's success relies on Jokic, it is undeniable that Jokic also needs functional players like Bryan around him.

Braun may not have excellent independent offensive capabilities, but as Jokic's partner, he can always do his own thing well: switching offenses, cutting layups, open three-pointers, chasing defenses and switching defenses. It is not easy to really do these things well.

From a purely personal point of view, Braun's more reasonable annual salary extension should be between 20 million and 25 million. More than 30 million is somewhat expensive. For comparison, Gordon's contract extension with the Nuggets last season was only 132 million for four years.

Performance in the new season will be very critical. If Braun develops a better three-pointer (7 of 8 so far in the preseason) and helps the Nuggets return to the finals, then there is every reason to believe that he will get a contract extension of 30 million or more. Braun is only 24 years old. He is really a very good championship puzzle piece. We will wait and see.

Mini-game recommendations:Far Orion: New Worlds