Who will be the Denver Nuggets’ sixth man in the 2023-24 season?

The trio of Bruce Brown, Christian Braun, and Jeff Green was all Denver needed from a bench unit in the playoffs to be able to capture their first NBA title in team history, making the Denver Nuggets’ bench one of the best in the NBA last season.

Bruce Brown and Jeff Green both signed with new teams recently—Brown with Indiana and Green with Houston. The only member of the primary bench group still playing for the Nuggets is Christian Braun.

With the selections of Julian Strawther, Hunter Tyson, and Jalen Pickett in the most recent NBA Draft, the Denver Nuggets did a fantastic job of attempting to fill the void left by Brown and Green. Reggie Jackson and DeAndre Jordan were both re-signed by the Denver Broncos in free agency, and Justin Holiday was also signed.

The starting lineup is almost ideal because it has a superb balance of offensive and defense in the first five players. There will be room for improvement on the bench, but that will be done during the season.

Are Reggie Jackson or Christian Braun the six-man prospects to be defeated?
Christian Braun in particular had a great season last year. He only played 15.5 minutes per game, averaging 4.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists. He didn’t get asked to take many shots very often. Braun had 11 three times in a single game last year when it came to shot attempts.

However, his defense was exceptionally strong, particularly in the playoffs. Throughout the playoffs, he had to compete against LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, and Kevin Durant, which was no easy assignment. Braun appears to be an excellent pick from the 2022 NBA Draft after one season.

Reggie Jackson is a fantastic athlete and should be considered for the sixth man position. In his 12-year NBA career, he has played that role numerous times. In his 16 regular season games for Denver, he had trouble keeping the squad productive. Although he only shot 38.3 percent from the field and 27.9 percent from outside the arc on average, he averaged 7.9 points and 3.1 assists.

Other noteworthy potential Nuggets’ sixth men
Although Julian Strawther is a fantastic player in his own right, he might lack the necessary rotational experience for Denver. Although he is only a rookie, at the age of 21, he has more experience than many other new rookies.

The starting lineup will be the same as it was last season, assuming that everyone on the team is healthy. Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., Nikola Joki, Jamal Murray, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope make up the starting five. One of the select few players named before may undoubtedly step in to replace someone else if an injury does occur.

Bones Hyland was a regular reserve for the Nuggets last year. Denver determined that he should play for another team in order to benefit all parties, so they traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for two second round selections, which was not a fantastic return given that he had made the All-Rookie 2nd Team the year before.

Denver’s bench players contributed 19th-most points per game last season, which is fine, but more bench players are required if the Nuggets are to keep winning titles.

Christian Braun would probably be selected as the sixth guy if Denver had to make a decision right away. Despite his size and build, he makes an excellent glue guy and defender. Though he won’t be able to completely replace Bruce Brown, we should still see some improvement in his performance and undoubtedly more playing time.

Christian Braun won’t likely be the Sixth Man of the Year next season, but he still has a chance to be a fantastic player for the Denver Nuggets.