Everyone around KU’s Braun says he has more confidence. Here’s what that looks like
Christian Braun made the biggest play of the game. And he did so because he tried.
Kansas’ lead was slipping. The Jayhawks had gone through a scoring drought at the end of the first half, and now were simply attempting to survive the final minutes before the break with both Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike on the bench because of foul trouble.
KU led by three, and Marcus Garrett forced an outside try to beat the shot clock. At the time, Braun’s feet were both outside the three-point line.
That’s when the freshman guard noticed something.
“He didn’t box me out,” Braun said of Oklahoma State’s Thomas Dziagwa. “I just went and got it. I knew we had to make a play.”
Braun hustled for the offensive rebound, put in a short jumper, and changed the momentum for KU in an eventual 65-50 road victory over Oklahoma State.
It’s all part of a recent uptick for Braun, with KU fans starting to see the same promise he’s previously shown teammates and coaches.
“When he first got here, and I saw him play, that was the thing I told him: I told him he was going to play this year,” Garrett said. “I told him we were going to need him, and I always tell him before the game, ‘There ain’t no pressure. Just go out there and be yourself.’”
Braun, according to those around him, has elevated his game with help from one rising attribute: confidence.
So how specifically can you see that in his play?
Here are three examples from Monday’s win:
The pull-up
Basketball is a game of instantaneous actions and reactions, meaning split seconds of decisiveness often become important.
KU coach Bill Self saw Braun take advantage during one instance in the first half.
While coming around a ball screen, Braun noticed his defender went “under” while sagging into the lane — a strategy typically reserved for non-shooters.
The opening was there. Braun set his feet, pulling up for a three-pointer before the Cowboys could recover.
One Oklahoma State assistant coach leaned back in his chair as Braun put up the shot, then stomped his feet a moment after it went in.
Most likely, the scouting report was to do something different.
The mistake was worth three points, though, because Braun acted quickly.
The pass
Self had told his players at halftime to look more for Azubuike inside. Oklahoma State was playing mostly zone when he was in the game, and because the team’s defenders were playing so high on the floor, there were likely to be opportunities for KU to get him the ball past the back line of defense.
Braun, in earlier months, was predictably risk-averse; he’d opt for easy passes to avoid turnovers, or intentionally back things out instead of trying to push the pace.
It’s why KU’s first possession of the second half showed some growth too. Braun had the ball up top, with a simple play available if he wanted to reverse the ball to Ochai Agbaji on the wing.
Instead Braun — thinking of his coach’s earlier words — surveyed the entire floor, seeing an opening to Azubuike between a pair of defenders.
Braun threw it up but Azubuike couldn’t finish, redirecting the alley-oop out of bounds on a missed dunk.
Self’s reaction on the sideline was notable. He pointed at Braun to acknowledge the good decision before clapping a few times as well.
“Putting yourself out there, doing things like that,” Braun said of the attempt, “that comes with confidence.”
The shot
ESPN’s announcers described it as an attempt from NBA range. In actuality, Braun couldn’t have been more than a step from the sideline.
Still, when asked to recall his longest three-point make against Oklahoma State, Braun had difficulty doing so.
“I don’t remember that one,” Braun said with a smile. “I guess I was probably just open.”
Garrett, at this point, speaks up. He’s sitting next to Braun at the podium, and he’s not surprised at Braun’s lack of recall on his long three: “He doesn’t believe he’s deep when he’s shooting.”
Braun laughs. When putting up attempts, he’s neither checking his feet nor worrying about the distance.
“If I’m open,” he said, “I’m going to let it go.”
That played out often against Oklahoma State, a team that continually dared KU to shoot it from the outside.
Braun was aggressive, attempting eight threes while making four.
“He knows what kind of shots are his shots,” teammate Tristan Enaruna said. “Whenever he’s open, he knows that he has to shoot the ball. He doesn’t hesitate.”
That’s a change from weeks past, and also a reason Self is likely to stick with a primary four-guard lineup moving forward.
Braun, the emboldened, has certainly earned more playing time ahead.
This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 5:15 AM.
