Denver Nuggets forward Christian Braun will be sidelined for six weeks after spraining his left ankle during Wednesday’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Braun got hurt in the first quarter when Clippers star James Harden stepped on his right foot, forcing him to take an awkward step backward with his left foot.
The injury comes at a tough time for Denver, who’ll play 17 games during Braun’s recovery period.
If all goes well, he could return as early as December 27 for the Nuggets’ road game against the Orlando Magic.
The team shared the news on social media Friday, confirming the six-week timeline for reevaluation.
Video of the injury shows the painful moment when Harden accidentally stepped on Braun’s foot during a defensive play.
Braun had been playing well this season, averaging 11.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 29.5 minutes per game. While he’s been shooting a solid 49.5% from the field, his three-point shooting has dropped to a career-low 21.4%.
Just earlier this month, Braun showed what he’s capable of when he dropped a season-high 21 points against the Sacramento Kings, hitting 70% of his shots from the floor.
The 24-year-old stepped into a starting role last season after Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left in free agency, and he’s been impressive ever since.
He averaged career bests across the board with 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 79 games last season.
His improvement has been remarkable. Braun was one of only two players in the league to increase his scoring average by more than eight points from the previous season.
Even more impressive? He was one of just five players to average at least 15 points and five rebounds while shooting 58% from the field – and the only non-center to do it.
The Nuggets clearly believe in Braun’s future. Last month, they locked him up with a five-year, $125 million contract extension that kicks in for the 2026-27 season.
This deal means Denver has secured four of their five starters through at least the 2027-28 season: Braun, superstar Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, and Jamal Murray. Though Jokic does have a $62.84 million player option for that final year as part of his massive $276.12 million extension signed in 2022.
The Nuggets will have to manage without Braun starting Saturday when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves.
