Christian Braun says his ankle is fine after injury-plagued season

At Nuggets media day on Monday, Christian Bruan met with reporters and said the severe left ankle sprain that cost him 38 games last season is fully behind him. That should be a relief in Denver, where Braun’s first season on his new contract was mostly spent rehabbing, sitting out or playing hurt.

The injury happened on November 12, 2025, in a road win over the Clippers. Braun had been a steady part of a 9-2 start, averaging 11.4 points and 4.4 rebounds before the sprain. He tore ligaments on both the inside and outside of his left ankle. He missed 23 games before returning on January 4, then missed 15 more later on as the ankle stayed unstable.

Braun admitted the ankle never felt right, even when he was playing.

“Yeah, I think it was, you know first major ankle injury. So it was really stiff. You know, it would swell up pretty easily after a game. Pretty big, didn’t look normal,” Braun said.

This was new for Braun. He had played at least 76 games in each of his first three NBA seasons. The injury also took away the thing his game depends on most – his explosiveness.

His numbers fell off as a result. A year after averaging 15.4 points and 5.2 rebounds as a full-time starter, Braun dropped to 12.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 44 games. The timing made it hard to ignore. He signed a five-year, $125 million rookie extension in October 2025, only weeks before he got hurt.

Braun spent the summer rehabbing at home in Kansas, and on Monday he said the work paid off.

“But, I’m good to go,” Braun said. “That’s kind of where I’m at with it. I feel like I’ve grinded hard enough on it all summer, and put myself in a good spot. So I’m excited. I’m ready to go. Ankle’s all good.”

Christian Braun:
“I’m good to go” on his ankle injury from last season pic.twitter.com/r4SXG8wVro

— Tatiana (@Tatianaclinares) September 28, 2026

He knows people have questions about his contract. After Minnesota knocked Denver out of the first round in six games last spring, Braun didn’t blame the injury.

“I was rewarded for my work on my rookie deal, so I understand the expectations are higher, and I need to be better,” he said at the time. “I’ve got to get healthy, first and foremost. But there is no excuse.”

Denver needs him healthy. Injuries hit the whole roster last season. Aaron Gordon played only 36 games because of hamstring problems, and Nikola Jokic played 65. The Nuggets have also ranked in the bottom 10 defensively two years in a row. When Braun is healthy, he brings a defensive presence that can lift the Nuggets out of that bottom ten ranking.

Braun is under contract through 2031, longer than anyone else on the roster. The first real look at his ankle comes October 4, when the Nuggets open the preseason against the Jazz at CU Events Center in Boulder. But the true test begins at the start of the regular season on October 22, in Oklahoma City.

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