Christian Braun's second season with the Denver Nuggets came to a close on Sunday, as Denver fell to Oklahoma City, 125-93, in Game 7 of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. He finished the game with 19 points, the second most on the Nuggets in the defeat. He also recorded four rebounds and three assists in his 33 minutes on the floor.
Although Denver failed to make the Western Conference Finals, Braun made an impact during Denver's run in the playoffs. He was a key rotation player for the Nuggets during the regular season and that continued into the playoffs. Braun played a big role in multiple wins during the postseason. He averaged 39.2 minutes per game, scoring 12.2 points per game while shooting 44.8% from the field. He recorded 6.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals over the course of the 14 playoff games.
The former Jayhawk had a standout performance in Game 6 of the Thunder series to help the Nuggets get to a Game 7. He set a playoff career high with 23 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field. He also notched 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Prior to that game, his playoff career high was set in Game 7 of the Clippers series, where Braun scored 21 points.
Overall, Braun took a big leap during his third season with the Nuggets organization. After he played 15.5 minutes as a rookie and 20.2 minutes in his season, Braun averaged 33.9 minutes during the regular season, starting 77 games. He averaged 15.4 points per game while shooting a career-best 58% from the field and a career-best 39.7% from 3. He also recorded a career-best 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals per contest.
As for Braun's contract status going into the offseason, he signed a four-year deal with a club option for each of the final two years of the deal when he was drafted in 2022. Braun played the 2024-25 season in the first year of the option and the Nuggets picked up his option for the 2025-26 season back in October. Next season will be Braun's final year before he enters restricted free agency. He made a little over $3 million this past season and will make just shy of $5 million next season.