KU’s Self, who attended NBA Finals, gives take on Nuggets’ Christian Braun, Nikola Jokic

Kansas basketball coach Bill Self had a perfect view of Game 5 of the 2023 NBA Finals on Monday night. He was about 20 rows behind the Denver Nuggets bench in jam-packed, 19,500-seat Ball Arena in downtown Denver.

Being so close to the action, Self was able to soak in the atmosphere while also closely monitoring the play of one of his former Kansas pupils — 22-year-old Nuggets rookie Christian Braun, who scored seven points, grabbed three rebounds and played his usual rugged defense in a 94-89 Denver victory over Miami that sealed the Nuggets’ 4-1 series win and the franchise’s first NBA title in 47 years.

“It was great. Christian was great,” Self said of Braun, who came off the bench and played 24 productive minutes.

“What Christian is proving to everybody is he’s a winner,” Self added, speaking with The Star on Tuesday at his basketball camp for youths. “Think about this. He won three in a row (state titles at Blue Valley Northwest High School). His freshman year here (2019-20) we had the best team in the country. They canceled the (NCAA) Tournament (because of Covid). His sophomore year we didn’t do well. We won it all his junior year and he wins it all his rookie year in the NBA. That’s five titles in six years — amazing.”

Braun, a 6-foot-6 wing from Burlington, Kansas — he will be remembered in Denver for scoring 15 points in a Game 3 NBA Finals victory in Miami that gave Denver a 2-1 series lead — on Monday became the fifth player in history to win NCAA and NBA titles back-to-back.

“He just keeps getting better and better,” Self said of Braun. “As long as he stays healthy he’ll have a long career, a great career.”

Asked what he likes the most about Braun’s game, Self stated: “He’s tougher than everybody, tries harder (than everybody) and he’s stronger than everybody.”

Self was able to visit with his former player in the hallway by the Nuggets locker room after the game. He also visited with Braun’s family members, including new KU forward Parker Braun, Christian’s brother who will play for KU as a super-senior transfer in 2023-24.

“Christian was so excited,” Self said. “I think it’s great. The best thing about it that I saw last night was how good and cool the players were. That’s the best thing I saw postgame.

“Jeff Green (of the Nuggets), 36-years-old, (says), ‘Hey Coach, how you doing?’ Ish Smith ... he’s played in the league 13 seasons (for 14 teams), most professional guy ever. DeAndre Jordan, (it’s) awesome the way he handled Christian. … They all talked about Christian and how they tried to help him, how they love him.”

Self and KU assistant Kurtis Townsend, who also attended the game, did not on this occasion meet with NBA superstar Nikola Jokic, the MVP of the finals, who scored 28 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the decisive Game 5.

For the entire postseason the 6-foot-11, 280-pound native of Serbia averaged 30.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game. Braun, meanwhile, averaged 3.2 points and 2.1 rebounds per game in the playoffs at 13.0 minutes per contest. For the season, Braun averaged 4.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 15.5 minutes in 76 regular season games (six starts).

“After seeing Jokic play in person and after watching him in the playoffs, I don’t know how you can keep him from getting 30 points in a game,” Self said. “As efficient he is, I think he can score 30 a game and not break a sweat. His hands are so good. He’s so efficient. If he gets a shot up and it’s on the rim it falls in.

“He has the softest touch. Those shots he makes off the wrong foot spinning … those are hard shots. He makes them look like they are nothing. ‘Shady’ (Darrell Arthur, former KU forward on 2008 NCAA title team who works for Nuggets) sat with us the whole time. He’s going, ‘Can you believe the stuff he (Jokic) can do?’ He’s so good.”

Asked for a comparison, Self said: “As far as balance, maybe (Dirk) Nowitzki. Dirk kind of started that one-foot off-balance stuff.”

Braun, who should be returning to the KC area for the summer after the Nuggets’ parade on Thursday, becomes the seventh Jayhawk coached by Self to win an NBA title. He joins Wayne Simien (2006), Mario Chalmers (2012, 2013), Brandon Rush (2015), Sasha Kaun (2016), Markieff Morris (2020) and Andrew Wiggins (2022). Braun, Chalmers, Rush and Kaun won NBA titles as well as NCAA crowns.

“I do think Christian’s role in this Finals was probably as big as anybody other than Mario and Wiggs,” Self said. Chalmers and Wiggins were starters for Miami and Golden State respectively, while Braun was a key cog off the bench for the Nuggets. “Those three probably had the biggest impact in the finals.”