LAS VEGAS — For an understanding of Christian Braun’s perspective on the job opening that’s been publicly presumed his, just look to the baseline at Cox Pavilion.

Sitting between teammates Zeke Nnaji and Peyton Watson, Braun was an enthusiastic front-row spectator at Denver’s NBA Summer League opener Friday night. So much so that he was careful not to step aside for an interview as the second half was beginning, requesting rather to wait for the stoppage at the end of the third quarter.

That’s when he explained that his appearance in Las Vegas is about more than just supporting his brother Parker, who’s suiting up for the Nuggets at Summer League.

“I would have been here anyway,” Braun told The Denver Post. “That was always the plan. … I need to be around these guys. I need to be around the coaches. I’m still young. I’ve played a lot of minutes, but I’m still young. So I need to be out here either way, and Parker being out here is pretty cool.”

Indeed, Braun has accomplished more than most non-lottery picks do in their first two years as an NBA player. It’s why he’s been widely projected (including by general manager Calvin Booth) to replace Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the Nuggets’ starting lineup next season, as they prepare to fend without their killer five-man unit for the first time since winning the 2023 championship.

But Braun won’t allow himself to assume the job is his.

“I’ve gotta go take it. It’s not written in that I’m gonna be the starter, and I don’t approach it that way. I never will,” Braun told The Post. “… I need to go prove myself again and again. I haven’t done anything in this league yet. I know we won the championship, but I still have so much more to do, so much more to offer, to give. I think that lineup fits me really well — but it fits a lot of people really well. So like I said, I’ve gotta go take it. I’ve gotta go earn it this summer. I’ve gotta go earn it in training camp. That’s the way I’m approaching it.”

By the time Caldwell-Pope agreed to his three-year, $66 million deal with the Orlando Magic, most of his teammates back in Denver already had a sense that he would be moving on in free agency. As compelling as the opportunity is for Braun to take the next step in his career, the loss of KCP was still bittersweet.

“My initial reaction was just, I’m grateful for him. I’m grateful for the time that we had together to play together,” Braun said. “He taught me a lot. Obviously, we play the same position, so he showed me a lot of different things, whether it was defensively, offensively. I got to spend time with him. He’s very welcoming. His family was always great to me. So just appreciative. And then obviously it was really cool to see him go sign that deal and take care of his family.”

Caldwell-Pope was a quintessential 3-and-D starter in Denver, where he won his second championship. He often shouldered the most challenging defensive assignment in any given game, matching up against the opponent’s top scoring guard, fighting through screens with seemingly endless stamina, playing almost every game.

If Braun is to replace him, dependability and consistency will be core tenets of the job. His trial run last season included appearing in all 82 games as an NBA sophomore.

“We have a lot of similarities, I think,” he said. “Defensively, kind of being pests. Offensively, we both fit alongside Nikola. And it’s the reason we were brought in. I was brought in to play with those guys, and so was he. … I think I’m gonna do a great job the same way he did a great job. And I’m excited for that. I’m excited for the opportunity to, like I said, go out and earn it.”

In philosophical unison with Braun, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Friday night on ESPN, “I’m not giving that spot to anybody. It’s going to be a competition.” That’s a fairly typical stance for a coach to take when a starting job is up for grabs. But who could challenge Braun for this one? There’s Julian Strawther, who’s a year behind Braun in experience. He was Denver’s best player in the Summer League opener, amassing 25 points and five rebounds while playing more assertively on the ball. But his point-of-attack defense isn’t at Braun’s level, and he shot just 29.7% from 3-point range as a rookie, an area that must improve regardless of his role.

Denver also has an open roster spot, which will likely be filled by a guard. Chemistry with Nikola Jokic is essential, both as an off-ball offensive threat and as a defensive partner in pick-and-roll coverage.

“I think even offensively, we have good chemistry. But the defensive part I don’t think is gonna be a big difference or a change,” Braun said. “I think they know what to expect from me, and I think that especially at the end of the year in that last series, I think everybody saw what I was capable of.”

His confidence in that area is warranted. With Braun’s strength and tenacity, he fits the profile of a lead defender who can guard bigger ball-dominant players. He already showed signs of leveling up during the playoffs, when he was Denver’s most effective matchup against Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.

But the Nuggets ultimately lost the series in a heartbreaking Game 7. Braun took the loss as hard as anyone in the locker room — losing almost felt like a foreign experience for him. As a rookie, he won the NBA championship. The previous year, he won the NCAA title at Kansas.

“I never want to lose. I don’t want to lose,” he said Friday, reflecting on Denver’s 20-point collapse. “You’re not gonna win every year, I understand that. But we’ve just gotta bounce back. We’ve gotta get better. All of us. Individually, I need to go get better. The team needs to get better as a unit. We need to be more hungry. I think that loss should motivate us. Could be good for us going into this year. You don’t want it to happen that way. And we got beat fair and square, obviously. But I think we had a good opportunity, especially being up that many points in a Game 7. You don’t lose that game very often. And we did.

“I think it could be a good thing for us, if we use it the right way.”

For Braun individually, it’ll remain forever on his mind. For now, it’ll fester as a second source of motivation to pair with the notion that he’s not a Denver Nuggets starter until he’s earned it.

Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis.