DEN

2025-26 Season

CHRISTIAN BRAUN

Denver Nuggets | Guard | 6-6
Christian Braun
11.8 PPG
4.8 RPG
2.9 APG
31.5 MPG
-2.9 Impact

Braun produces at an below average rate for a 32-minute workload.

NET IMPACT BREAKDOWN
Every stat, every credit, every cost — per game average
-2.9
Scoring +7.9
Points 11.8 PPG × +1.00 = +11.8
Missed 2PT 2.1/g × -0.78 = -1.6
Missed 3PT 2.1/g × -0.87 = -1.8
Missed FT 0.5/g × -1.00 = -0.5
Creation +2.9
Assists 2.9/g × +0.50 = +1.4
Off. Rebounds 1.2/g × +1.26 = +1.5
Turnovers -2.1
Turnovers 1.1/g × -1.95 = -2.1
Defense +1.1
Steals 0.7/g × +2.30 = +1.6
Blocks 0.3/g × +0.90 = +0.3
Def. Rebounds 3.6/g × +0.30 = +1.1
Fouls Committed 2.5/g × -0.75 = -1.9
Hustle & Effort +2.6
Contested Shots 4.2/g × +0.20 = +0.8
Deflections 2.0/g × +0.65 = +1.3
Loose Balls 0.4/g × +0.60 = +0.2
Screen Assists 0.8/g × +0.30 = +0.2
Off. Fouls Drawn 0.1/g uncredited × +2.70 = +0.1
Raw Impact +12.4
Baseline (game-average expected) −15.3
Net Impact
-2.9
25th pctl vs Guards

About this model: Net Impact can't measure floor spacing, help defense rotations, or playmaking gravity — so wings and guards are slightly undervalued vs bigs. How Net Impact works

SKILL DNA

Percentile rank vs 235 Guards with 10+ games

Scoring 61th
11.8 PPG
Efficiency 80th
58.8% TS
Playmaking 56th
2.9 APG
Rebounding 86th
4.8 RPG
Rim Protection 15th
0.08/min
Hustle 21th
0.08/min
Shot Creation 50th
0% pullup
TO Discipline 82th
0.03/min

THE SEASON SO FAR

Christian Braun’s first 20 games were defined by a maddening offensive passivity that constantly threatened to sabotage his undeniable athletic gifts. Even when he found his shooting stroke, hidden costs dragged him down. Take his performance on 02/09 vs CLE, where he dropped 20 points but still posted a -5.0 impact score because poor rotational discipline bled points on the defensive end. Sometimes, however, he salvaged his value without scoring. On 01/07 vs BOS, Braun managed a +3.5 impact score despite contributing just 5 points, keeping his head above water by maintaining high-level defensive pressure when his offensive aggression completely vanished. Far too often, his mental lapses compounded into outright disasters. Look no further than his nightmare outing on 10/31 vs POR, where blown defensive assignments and poor perimeter shot selection resulted in a catastrophic -25.0 impact score. If he wants to remain a reliable starter, he must stop passing up open catch-and-shoot looks and start imposing his will consistently.

This stretch was defined by maddening inconsistency and hidden costs that routinely sabotaged his box score production. Even when the ball went through the hoop, his actual value plummeted. Look at 02/27 vs OKC as a prime example. He poured in 23 points, but his overall impact slipped to a -3.0 because severe hidden costs and unseen errors dragged down his high-volume shooting. The bottom truly fell out during 03/09 vs OKC, where a brutal -20.3 impact score revealed an offensive disaster that completely erased the value of his 9 rebounds and elite perimeter defense. He did occasionally flip the script, notably posting a massive +16.0 impact mark during 03/17 vs PHI by pairing 22 highly efficient points with suffocating defense on both ends of the floor. Far too often, however, forced drives into heavy traffic and poor off-ball awareness ruined his overall effectiveness.

IMPACT TIMELINE

Game-by-game performance vs average. Green = above average, red = below.

PATTERNS

Boom-or-bust player. Braun's impact swings wildly relative to his average — some nights dominant, others invisible. Scoring varies by ~6 points per game.

Middle-of-the-road efficiency — shoots 45%+ from the field in 61% of games. Not automatic, but not a problem either.

Defensive difference-maker. Braun consistently forces tough shots and protects the rim — opponents shoot worse when he's guarding them.

Slight upward trend. First-half impact: -4.3, second-half: -1.5. Modest improvement — possibly settling into a rhythm.

Tends to go on runs. Longest hot streak: 3 games. Longest cold streak: 11 games.

MATCHUP HISTORY

Based on 41 games with tracking data. Shows who guarded this player on offense and who he guarded on defense, with their shooting stats in those matchups.

ON OFFENSE: WHO GUARDED HIM

His shooting stats against each primary defender this season

L. Dončić 62.7 poss
FG% 33.3%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.08
PTS 5
D. Booker 61.8 poss
FG% 75.0%
3P% 50.0%
PPP 0.21
PTS 13
FG% 50.0%
3P% 33.3%
PPP 0.09
PTS 5
J. Brunson 56.3 poss
FG% 33.3%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.05
PTS 3
Z. LaVine 50.7 poss
FG% 57.1%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.24
PTS 12
B. Podziemski 45.9 poss
FG% 60.0%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.13
PTS 6
C. Holmgren 39.6 poss
FG% 33.3%
3P% 33.3%
PPP 0.13
PTS 5
D. Avdija 38.7 poss
FG% 60.0%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.18
PTS 7
T. Jerome 37.9 poss
FG% 33.3%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.11
PTS 4
K. Leonard 37.8 poss
FG% 100.0%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.11
PTS 4

ON DEFENSE: WHO HE GUARDED

How opponents shot when he was the primary defender. Lower FG% = better defense.

FG% 53.3%
3P% 28.6%
PPP 0.41
PTS 42
L. Dončić 91.2 poss
FG% 50.0%
3P% 37.5%
PPP 0.29
PTS 26
D. Booker 71.6 poss
FG% 83.3%
3P% 100.0%
PPP 0.18
PTS 13
J. Brunson 67.5 poss
FG% 33.3%
3P% 33.3%
PPP 0.16
PTS 11
D. Avdija 65.4 poss
FG% 55.6%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.21
PTS 14
Z. LaVine 55.1 poss
FG% 16.7%
3P% 25.0%
PPP 0.11
PTS 6
B. Podziemski 54.6 poss
FG% 33.3%
3P% 50.0%
PPP 0.09
PTS 5
S. Curry 43.9 poss
FG% 53.8%
3P% 50.0%
PPP 0.5
PTS 22
J. Harden 40.3 poss
FG% 60.0%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.2
PTS 8
T. Jerome 35.6 poss
FG% 41.7%
3P% 37.5%
PPP 0.39
PTS 14

SEASON STATS

40
Games
11.8
PPG
4.8
RPG
2.9
APG
0.7
SPG
0.3
BPG
51.4
FG%
30.6
3P%
78.1
FT%
31.5
MPG

GAME LOG

40 games played