First off, Christian Braun obviously made the right decision. He would have been crazy to not at least test the NBA waters and get as much feedback as possible. When he first made his announcement on Twitter, it sounded like he was closing the door on a possible return to Kansas, but that isn't the case. Braun, like Jalen Wilson, is testing the NBA waters and will have the option to return for another year in Lawrence.
I might look at this a little different than some, but if you're guaranteed to be a first-round pick -- an absolute lock -- you make that move. If the money is guaranteed and you've got yourself a spot, strike while the iron is hot. However, if you're a borderline first-round pick and might slip to the second, you need to return to college, especially with so many NIL opportunities. There is big money being thrown around in the NIL game and I expect a lot of guys to take advantage of that. Nijel Pack struck gold and I'm willing to bet that Oscar T is going to find himself living the good life this next year in returning to Kentucky.
This is just me, but if I'm Christian Braun, I'm returning to Kansas unless I get the deal of a lifetime from an NBA team. If he's a late first-round selection or slips to the second round, he'll spend time in the G-League and, and this is just my opinion, won't log a ton of minutes in the NBA next season. Truthfully, it might take a couple of seasons to make the type of impact he wants to make.
Why not return to Kansas, play on the biggest stage the game has to offer, win Big 12 Player of the Year (very possible), make some NIL money, and give yourself another year to prepare for the NBA? Again, I'm not in his position and would have no idea what the life he has the potential to live is remotely like. Putting myself in his shoes, turning down the NBA would be a tough decision, but in the world these guys are living in today, with big bucks from NIL, Christian has an opportunity to make some good money, continue to improve and develop all areas of his game, and be the face of the winningest program in all of college basketball.
At the end of the day, I expect Christian Braun to make the right move. He'll get the necessary feedback and then make a final decision.
I might look at this a little different than some, but if you're guaranteed to be a first-round pick -- an absolute lock -- you make that move. If the money is guaranteed and you've got yourself a spot, strike while the iron is hot. However, if you're a borderline first-round pick and might slip to the second, you need to return to college, especially with so many NIL opportunities. There is big money being thrown around in the NIL game and I expect a lot of guys to take advantage of that. Nijel Pack struck gold and I'm willing to bet that Oscar T is going to find himself living the good life this next year in returning to Kentucky.
This is just me, but if I'm Christian Braun, I'm returning to Kansas unless I get the deal of a lifetime from an NBA team. If he's a late first-round selection or slips to the second round, he'll spend time in the G-League and, and this is just my opinion, won't log a ton of minutes in the NBA next season. Truthfully, it might take a couple of seasons to make the type of impact he wants to make.
Why not return to Kansas, play on the biggest stage the game has to offer, win Big 12 Player of the Year (very possible), make some NIL money, and give yourself another year to prepare for the NBA? Again, I'm not in his position and would have no idea what the life he has the potential to live is remotely like. Putting myself in his shoes, turning down the NBA would be a tough decision, but in the world these guys are living in today, with big bucks from NIL, Christian has an opportunity to make some good money, continue to improve and develop all areas of his game, and be the face of the winningest program in all of college basketball.
At the end of the day, I expect Christian Braun to make the right move. He'll get the necessary feedback and then make a final decision.
