Great Things About The Nuggets You Don't Know

Why I own property on Strawther Island and why CB is a Dagger

Photo by Saif71.com on Unsplash

The Denver Nuggets have been just slicing through teams over the last six weeks. It’s basically been this:

(NOT OK FOR THE KIDDOS)

🎶Heaven help me…🎶

Denver has the second-best record in the league since the turn of the calendar to 2025 behind only OKC (of course) and the second-best net rating at +9.7.

That second number matters; last season Denver’s net rating finished +5.4, they’re currently at +5.3 despite injuries to Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon for long stretches (and currently without Russell Westbrook and Peyton Watson).

Wins are wins, and losses are losses, but over 82 games, how much you win by on average is a stronger indicator of how good you are. I currently have the Nuggets projected for 55 wins, just behind last season’s finish, and basically just as good of a team.

And while Nikola Jokic continues his completely guano-insane 4th MVP campaign, a lot of Nuggets have stepped up over this stretch offensively. Here are some things I’ve noticed when doing clips of Denver’s offense over the course of the season.

CALL CB A DAGGER BECAUSE HE CUTS DEEP

I’ve talked a lot about the differences in the defense without KCP, but one thing has been readily apparent: the team would have been best off defensively with KCP and Braun, but Braun’s been so good that it honestly is a net positive.

I thought going into the year that Braun’s ability to make open threes was going to decide whether moving him to starter was a success or not. It turns out I was wrong because CB became legitimately maybe the best cutter in the NBA.

This season, Christian Braun:

• Leads the NBA in total transition points

• Ranks second in transition points per possession and field goal percentage¹

• Ranks tied for 6th in points per possession off cuts²

• Shot 67% from 2-point range in January and is shooting 70% from 2 in the month of February

• Ranks 2nd in 2-point field goal percentage among guards with at least 300 attempts behind Josh Hart

I’ve pestered CB over and over about how he’s improved his finishing. And every single time that young man does nothing but credit his teammates, starting with Nikola Jokic for how easy they make it for him.

“I think a lot of it is Nikola and playing off Jamal and Mike and Aaron,” CB said to reporters Monday night.

“A lot of it is them getting rebounds and kicking it to me. I just have to make a play, try and be under control, use my athleticism, but be under control. It’s still a work in progress, I still have a lot to work on.”

But the work he’s done is impressive.

One person in the organization noted to me how much Braun has slowed down compared to last season and learned how use his athleticism without trying to jump over everyone. He’s gotten elite at using his hangtime to maintain control and finish after defenders are on the way down on contests:

Same thing here. Braun sets the screen on the split action and even though there’s a contest, he just waits it out instead of trying to finish through it.

This sequence destroys teams. When teams try to double Jokic, it puts the corner defender in a spot of guarding both MPJ and Braun. So when the defender goes in the middle to maintain both, CB cuts and finishes. Yes, this is Jokic’s behind the back pass around a double-team and Westbrook’s perfect read. But CB’s timing on this cut and finish is perfect.

Something that blew me away when watching Braun’s possessions is his hands. The guy never drops anything. It’s always a clean catch and finish, and it helps with things like this where teammates can lob to him. Both Joker and Jamal have found him on plays like this, and Braun’s able to catch facing one direction, turn, and score without having to land and gather:

This is a rare miss from Braun, but really look at the angle he takes on the attack and how it moves Zion out of the way to give Mike the OREB opportunity.

Braun constantly downplays his role because he has the most veteran mindset of a player his age I’ve ever covered. He is incredibly polished in everything he does, from warmups to his play on the court to his interviews.

But Braun has made a huge impact on Denver; the Nuggets’ offense is 13 points better with him on the floor compared to off, and while most of that his time with Jokic, Jokic’s on-court offensive rating is five points better with CB on than off.

For all the talk I’ve made of the decision to start Braun, it’s his finishing that provided the final word.

THE STRAW DOG’S OUT IN THE STREET

I’m all in on Julian Strawther. All the way in. I know how many mistakes he makes on defense. There’s another time to talk about those challenges and why I think he’ll be fine in time. ³

But his offense has jumped so much and not just from a shooting perspective. There’s a structure there you can build off. Strawther isn’t just a chucker, or a shooter. There’s multi-level things he can do with the ball.

The floater is the go-to and it’s important to note he doesn’t have to load up to get to it. His ability to spring and pop it is among the best.

I’ve argued with Blackburn on the utility of that shot. It’s a lower percentage shot… unless it’s the playoffs when everything is tougher. That’s the shot you want to attack vs. drop coverage. Look at how fast this is.

Strawther’s no Murray when it comes to creation, but there’s more passing in the bag than I had thought. The angle and delivery on this pocket pass is good.