KU coach Bill Self (& others) marvel at Christian Braun’s dunking exhibition in Denver

Kansas basketball coach Bill Self acknowledged the contributions of super senior forward Parker Braun at Thursday night’s postseason awards banquet, noting the former Blue Valley Northwest standout “had flashes this year that were fantastic.”

Self, who likes to keep things light during a 30-minute speech that concludes the annual dinner at Burge Union, added jokingly that Parker, “is kind of the vocal, outlandish brother (of three boys in the Braun family). Parker is obviously way out there.”

He continued.

“I know Landon (youngest) is here. They’ve got another brother named Christian who is more reserved than Parker,” Self joked of exuberant former KU guard Christian Braun of the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, who is actually much more outgoing than Parker.

“Christian had three dunks last night in a 3 1/2-minute stretch and he only posted it 12 times (on social media). Did you guys see the 3 1/2 minutes? Pretty special,” Self added in a serious tone.

“My best sequence in the NBA,” Christian Braun told the Denver Post of three crunch-time slams that had fans rocking at the Nuggets’ Ball Arena in Wednesday’s home finale of the regular season.

First, Denver’s Nikola Jokic made a two-handed pass to Braun on the right wing. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Braun, who started for KU’s 2022 NCAA title team, drove to the hoop and flushed a two-handed jam, giving Denver a 101-92 lead over Minnesota with 4:03 left in a 116-107 win.

Next, Denver’s Jamal Murray lofted a pass from the far end line to Braun just pass midcourt. Braun used his left hand to dribble all the way to the goal, then instead of passing to Peyton Watson underneath the goal went airborne off his left foot, moved the ball from his right hand to his left in mid-air and completed a one-handed thunderous dunk over one of the best defenders in the NBA, Rudy Gobert.

That gave Denver a 106-94 lead at 3:23.

Finally on Denver’s next possession, Michael Porter Jr. lobbed to Braun for a two-handed slam that gave Denver a 108-94 lead at 3:01.

The middle dunk was the most remarkable of the three and was named ESPN SportsCenter’s No. 8 play of the day.

“I would definitely say it’s probably the best (dunk) so far,” Braun told denvergazette.com.

“A lot of the credit goes to ‘P-Wat,’ because I think Rudy knew that P-Wat’s a high flyer running behind him,” Braun told the Denver Post. “So, he (Gobert) was stunting, following, trying to play both, which is what you’re supposed to do, obviously, in transition. He was just caught between two guys that attack the rim pretty hard.”

The Nuggets were determined to run and gun their way past the Timberwolves.

“I don’t usually try (acrobatic dunks) in the fourth quarter of a big game like that, but … I didn’t want to go up with a layup against the best defensive player in the league,” Braun said of Gobert. “You’ve got to attack him strong. The sequence was really fun, too. Just getting up and down, that’s when we play our best basketball,” Braun added.

“It was like a dunk show,” noted coach Michael Malone.

Braun — he averages 7.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists through 81 games — is in his second season in the league after playing a huge role for the Nuggets during their NBA title run a year ago. He’s a rotation player but not usually in the game with Peyton Watson during crunch time.

The 22-year-old Braun (he turns 23 on Wednesday) has started four games and averages 20.1 minutes per contest. He has made 46.1% of his shots compared to his 49.5% mark as a rookie. He’s hitting 38.6% from 3 this year compared to 35.4% last season.

“The trust is a big part of it, obviously. He (Malone) left us out there through ups and downs, throughout the game. He could’ve subbed us out for the guys that normally finish the game, but he trusted me and ‘P,’ trusted our defense, trusted us to get it done. Those plays don’t happen if we come out earlier,” Braun told denvergazette.com “Coach trusting us in that moment, in a big game like that, is very meaningful.”

Of Braun and fellow second-year pro Watson, superstar Jokic said: “That sequence of two minutes, it was really amazing. I’m always happy for those guys. I think they don’t get enough credit (for) what they’re doing on the floor and how they’re helping us energy wise, effort wise. We need them.”

“We definitely need those two to win a championship,” 10-year veteran Aaron Gordon said to denvergazette.com. “I’m very happy for them.”

Braun had his fair share of highlight-reel dunks during his three seasons at KU (2019-20 through 21-22).

“I worked out a little bit growing up, but I don’t know,” Braun said of the secret to his leaping ability. “My dad tries to take credit for it, but I don’t know. I haven’t seen that.”

The Nuggets were to conclude the 2023-24 regular season Sunday at Memphis. Denver started Sunday’s action with a 56-25 record, good for a tie with Oklahoma City and Minnesota for first place overall in the Western Conference. The Nuggets obviously are one of the favorites to win the NBA title again this season.

Second-year players Braun and Watson appear ready for another run.

“Last year in the playoffs Christian got a chance to play and was impactful, helped us win a road game in the NBA Finals, which you don’t see many rookies do,” Malone said Wednesday. “What you saw Peyton Watson do (against the Wolves) was continue to show and improve why he needs to be on the floor, six more blocks.”

Of his entire season, Braun told NBA.com: “This is a season where I’ve played every single game. Haven’t missed anything. So, that’s another adjustment to come out and make sure I have that energy every single night. That’s what got me here, and that’s what’s gonna keep me here. Coming out and having energy every night is something that I try to do every game, but I think I could improve on that. There’s always going to be something you have to work through.”

Malone said of Braun to NBA.com back in February: “What you love about Christian Braun he is a no-excuse type of a person. He won in high school, he won in college, he won in the NBA. And the first thing he’s going to tell you is, ‘I have to be better.’ The clips that we watched together, he goes, ‘I have to play better defense, I have to be more disciplined on defense, I have to give greater fight.’

“He’s not a guy that’s living in a world where it’s, ‘I’m getting screwed.’ No, he’s looking at himself first and foremost. When you deal with an individual who’s mature and has a really good head on his shoulders, now it’s just having an honest conversation. His whole mindset is, ‘Coach, I have to go out there and give you more reason to play me. I have to play better. I have to impact the game on both ends at a higher level.’ That’s what you love to hear is a young man who is willing to do whatever it takes to get on the floor and not looking for any excuses, which a lot of people in today’s society are always looking for.”