Nuggets' Christian Braun Seeking NBA Title a Year After Winning NCAA Championship
U.S. News & World Report DENVER (AP) Denver Nuggets rookie Christian Braun is showing that the NBA Finals is not too big of a stage for him.
The 21st pick in the draft last summer, Braun has made the most of his minutes off the bench, sinking 10 of 12 shots, grabbing a half dozen rebounds and collecting four steals against the Miami Heat while giving teammates an extended breather.
Thats a rare rookie right here, Aaron Gordon said. From Day 1 hes been on top of it. This is a real winner right here. I say that because hes always in the right spot. Hes in the right place at the right time, and hes been doing that all year.
Braun has a chance to become just the fifth player in NBA history to win an NBA title a year after winning the NCAA championship, joining Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Henry Bibby and Billy Thompson.
Braun gave the Nuggets a much-needed lift in Denvers Game 3 rout of the Heat. With Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray making history with the first dual triple-double in the NBA Finals, Braun scored 15 points in 19 minutes on a night starters Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope struggled again.
