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Christian Braun · The bright lights of the NBA Finals could be overwhelming for most rookies — Christian Braun is not most rookies. Fresh off winning a national championship in college, the first-year guard fit in seamlessly on the NBA’s biggest stage after the Denver Nuggets made him the 21st pick in the 2022 draft. In Game 3 of a deadlocked NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, Braun picked off a Jimmy Butler pass and beat Duncan Robinson in a race to the basket for an emphatic one-handed slam. It was smooth sailing from there for the Nuggets and Braun, who came off the bench to score 15 points on 7 for 8 shooting to go with four rebounds in 19 productive minutes. The Nuggets cruised to a 109-94 victory and took a 2-1 series lead on June 7, 2023. · State of Mint