Beat writer Bennett Durando opens up the Nuggets Mailbag periodically during the season. Pose a Nuggets- or NBA- related question here.

As much as it pains us to think poorly of a native son and fellow Jayhawk, we wonder if the Christian Braun hype leading into this season was overly optimistic. We were as pumped as everyone else after his performance vs. Miami, but those highlight moments aside, last year’s season-long performance didn’t indicate to us that he was ready to impact this year’s team in the ways some hoped.

What are your thoughts on his season so far? Of the young and developing players, it seems like Peyton Watson and occasionally even Julian Strawther are having better years. Are we wrong to feel just a bit disappointed? The WiFi high atop Mt. Sunflower isn’t the best so it’s possible we missed out on some impact performances.

— Matt, Mt. Sunflower, KS

Braun’s minutes off the bench have steadily waned in relation to Reggie Jackson’s and Peyton Watson’s throughout the season. No question he has shown symptoms of a sophomore slump, but people I’ve talked to around the team have remained confident in him (particularly due to his work ethic) the entire time. He just won his first Defensive Player of the Game chain after the Nuggets’ win over Portland last Sunday, leading to this comment from Watson: “It makes me happier to see him get back in his groove than it does for me to continue mine.”

Braun’s minutes that night were the most he’d played since last Nov. 20, despite his stat line (four points, four shot attempts). That speaks to the focal point of what Denver expects his impact to be: perimeter defense and second-unit energy. Braun and coach Michael Malone met one-on-one a couple of games earlier to discuss Braun’s season so far. Malone recognized during the meeting that it was probably a little unfair to throw Braun into a backup point guard role while Jamal Murray was out. They also watched film together from the NBA Finals to highlight what Braun does best.

“I said, ‘I’m not looking at your stats, your 3-point percentage. I’m looking at you. You’re an intangibles guy,’” Malone said. “‘Your energy, your aggression, your physicality and your discipline all have to be off the charts for us every single night.’ I know that Christian’s a much better player than he has shown.”

The stats might be insignificant to Malone, but it’s worth mentioning that Braun is 39.2% from three in his last 40 games, a huge improvement after his slow start to the season. If his on-ball offense remains mostly secondary to his cutting and spot-up shooting, he’s capable of being an efficient scorer. Confidence as a driver can stem from that.

Greetings Mr. Durando, thanks for great coverage. I read that you don’t think the Nuggets will be active at the deadline, but do you think GM Calvin Booth could look to the buyout market for additions? I wouldn’t mind another big, even though we all love DJ (DeAndre Jordan) here in Colorado.

— Mike, Loveland

Similarly to how they approached the trade deadline, I expect the Nuggets to keep their antennas up for potential buyout candidates who make sense from a salary cap standpoint. But there isn’t necessarily a sense of urgency to make roster changes.

Under the new collective bargaining agreement, teams whose payrolls exceed the first tax apron cannot sign a player who was waived during the season if the player’s salary was above the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($12.4 million). Denver is one of seven teams curtailed by that rule. That means no Spencer Dinwiddie, no Kyle Lowry, no Joe Harris — all names I’ve seen pop up as some of the best to potentially be available. These CBA provisions are not kind to contenders over the apron, and if the Nuggets find an affordable match, they’ll have to consider the value they would be gaining versus who they would release in the corresponding roster move. Same idea that loomed over Denver’s feasible trade market.

For the sake of content, I’ll throw out a few players who would fit in Denver financially: Danilo Gallinari ($6.8 million), Danuel House ($4.3 million), Seth Curry ($4 million), Andre Drummond ($3.36 million), Robin Lopez ($2 million), Otto Porter Jr. ($6.3 million), Cedi Osman ($6.7 million).

Buyout market signings don’t usually end up contributing to championships, even the players who had a higher salary with their previous team. Then again, Reggie Jackson might not have been a major part of the Nuggets’ 2023 playoff run, but his role in the title defense is a great example of a buyout acquisition paying dividends eventually. Perhaps Booth can find a hidden gem this year and get a bargain. I just have a hard time seeing who Denver would cut.

Is there not an injury exception available to Denver because of Vlatko Cancar?

— @ChefMBaldwin, via Twitter

The disabled player exception provides salary cap relief but not an extra roster spot. Cancar still counts as one of Denver’s 15 players, so his ACL recovery doesn’t save the Nuggets from having to waive someone if they want to add — but the DPE can supply an extra $1.1 million in wiggle room.

“His outlook and perspective have been so positive,” Malone said in early January when asked about Cancar’s progress. “I think he’s ahead of schedule. He’s doing things that I’m surprised that he’s doing in terms of running on the treadmill, coming out here, going through a workout and shooting the ball. Unbelievable, positive mindset. His recovery is going well. We try to keep him engaged by doing a few of the personnel reports with our guys, and I think he enjoys that. He does a really good job with that.”

Can we talk about load management for the fans? I’m a lifelong Nuggets fan and mom of two, and I recently went back to work. After last season I don’t want to miss a game, but dang it is kicking my butt to try and keep up with this schedule. My health and relationships are suffering! How do people do this??

— Jenny Stockton, Denver

I wish I had a wise answer for you. The sports team I care about most as a fan is the St. Louis Cardinals, and most of their games align with my work offseason. So the solution is mostly easy for me. My best advice is to not feel pressured to watch every single regular-season game closely. It’s OK to have games on your TV in the background while focusing on other, more important things at home. (You can always catch up on what you missed by reading your local newspaper!) Gotta lock in for the playoffs though, obviously.

I don’t know. Maybe other readers will be inspired to respond when they read about your dilemma. I might be the worst-equipped person to respond as someone who watches all 82 Nuggets games for work.

Zeke Nnaji just got an extension and has been with the main team (bench or deep bench) his whole career. However, considering how far out of the rotation he appears at the moment and the fact that he’s still only 23, are there any plans to give him some run in the G League to help him develop?

— Greg Zielinski, Washington D.C.

I’ve heard nothing that gives me the impression Denver would plan a G League assignment for Nnaji. He is regarded and treated as a full-time NBA roster player; he’s coming up on the end of his rookie scale deal and the start of his next contract; and the organization hasn’t established a precedent of sending him to the G League in his first three years of service.

Malone’s inclination to use DeAndre Jordan more frequently at backup center has had a lot to do with Jordan’s more reliable defensive rebounding, as well as his pick-and-roll chemistry with Jackson, the bench unit point guard. I see at least one encouraging flash from Nnaji every time he’s on the floor, but his minutes tend to feel like one step forward, two steps back. His net rating is a team-worst minus-15.8. This is where goals can contradict each other. If the Nuggets want him to develop, they should probably find more room for him to work through his mistakes without having to worry about playing himself off the floor. On the other hand, the margin between first place and fourth in the Western Conference is so narrow right now that every game feels more important than a developmental showcase.

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