Former Kansas star Christian Braun and Bill Self react to him being drafted by Denver Nuggets in NBA Draft
On Thursday night, former Kansas Jayhawk Christian Braun fulfilled a lifelong dream by being selected in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets with the No. 21 overall selection in the first round. Following the pick, he spoke with ABC’s Monica McNutt about the emotions he was experiencing.
“It feels great. I’m just grateful for the support,” Braun said. Coach [Bill] Self being here and all my people that are here. I’m just grateful for all those people and it’s great.” The former Kansas Jayhawk star also took some time to reflect how amazing his college basketball career was with the Jayhawks, ending in a 2022 national championship. “Looking back on it, it’s going to be crazy. I won a national championship with Och [Ochai Agbaji] and the guys, that was great. Now that I’m drafted, it’s been an amazing process. I’m grateful for the support, I’m grateful for my family. That’s pretty much all I can say, just grateful,” Braun said.
His former head coach, Bill Self, was there with him and let Denver Nuggets’ fans know what type of player they’re getting with Braun. “They’re getting a competitor, toughness, a guy that knows how to play, and his ceiling is still way up here. So I think everybody associated with that organization has got to pretty happy right now,” Self said.
Christian Braun’s basketball career is an underdog story
A three-star recruit in the Class of 2019, Christian Braun was never a sure thing for the NBA. It’s a position he was able to get to through hard work and developing his game throughout his college career. That career ended with the 2021-22 season, where his Kansas Jayhawks prevailed over the North Carolina Tar Heels to win the 2022 National Championship.
In 2020, Christian Braun was on the Big 12 All-Freshman team. Then, in 2022, he was Second-team All-Big 12. He was an incredibly important player for the Kansas Jayhawks, playing better than thirty minutes as both a sophomore and a junior. His 31 points against St. John’s were a season-high for the 2021-22 season.
For his career, Christian Braun averaged 10.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. He also shot 44.9% from the field and 37.8% from three-point range on his career.
Prior to the NBA Draft, Christian Braun was projected as a borderline first-round pick. CBS Sports had him going 27th overall. Meanwhile, ESPN pegged him as the second pick in the second round.
A good ball-handler, Christian Braun plays somewhere between the small forward and shooting guard. At the NBA level, he’ll need to shoot the ball a lot. That was his strength at Kansas, even with some statistical regression.
There is going to be a question about whether Braun can create shots for himself at the next level. He was a catch-and-shoot guy at Kansas. Driving to the hoop and shooting off the dribble was not. He needs to be able to develop those skills to thrive in the NBA.
Nobody expected Christian Braun to become an NBA-caliber player. He is now, and with some development, he could be a very good NBA player.
On3’s Daniel Morrison also contributed to this article.