The Crayola Box Crew are the overlooked heroes of the Nuggets playoff run
Apr 21, 2023, 11:55 PM
What can you say about this amazing Denver Nuggets team that hasn’t been blurted out already?
They have taken a commanding 3-0 series lead over the sad sack Minnesota Timberwolves, blistering the pups 120-111 on Friday night in the land of 10,000 lakes.
There is no doubt the Nuggets’ big three, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. deserve the lion’s share of the credit. All three were in double figures scoring with Jokic collecting another triple-double (20 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists.)
But, it’s time to anoint a nickname for the Nuggets’ second unit.
They are – the Crayola Box Crew.
Braun, Green and Brown.
For the second game in a row, Christian Braun, Jeff Green and Bruce Brown dominated playing time and production off the bench. This colorful trio outscored the Minny bench a staggering 29-10.
“However many dudes we have over there is how deep we go,” said Porter praising the depth of his team off the bench.
Cowboy Brown led the scoring output with 12 points, but the standout player was the rookie Braun.
“Not just him,” Jokic said when asked about the play of Brown. “Christian played really well. He had eight points in the paint. Bruce also gave us easy points. Everybody played really well.”
CB has known nothing but winning in his past few years of post-season hoops with three state high school state championships for Northwest Park in Overland Park, Kansas and a national collegiate championship with the University of Kansas.
“He is just that dude,” MPJ said about Braun. “He is such a great role player for us. As years go on, he will grow and grow. We are very lucky to have him in this playoffs.”
Braun’s stat line was solid, but not spectacular. His nine points came off of four-of-five including a three-pointer. But the Nuggets outscored the Wolves 60-52 in the paint too.
Braun was a consistent pest across the board, including into the fourth quarter.
“It’s trust and it’s huge for his development,” said coach Michael Malone about Braun. “You can have all the individual workouts you want. But the only way you truly develop in this league is by playing and more importantly playing through mistakes.”
Malone knows he has something special he needs to nurture.
“If I yank Christian Braun out after a turnover, how’s he gonna go in there and impact the game?” asked Malone. “He’s gonna be looking over his shoulder after every mistake. You can’t play like that. So, I called a quick timeout because early in that fourth quarter, it was two turnovers and three points, so timeout. We went on a nine to two run right after that and Christian was a big part of that.”
The Nuggets went through many machinations of a second unit during the regular season. In fact, after a deal was done for Reggie Jackson, Braun found himself cemented to the bench. In the end, Jackson was looking more like Marlon than Michael, returning Braun to action.
“This is invaluable for Christian Braun,” said Malone. “I thought he responded with 9 points and attacking the basket, finishing. It’s great to see him out there doing what he’s doing for us.”
Braun has won on every level and now finds himself a core piece of the Crayola Box Crew. On Sunday night, when the Nuggets have a chance to clinch a first-round sweep, look for Braun to add valuable minutes to this incredibly talented team.
