Lakers Player Shares Harsh Reality for Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets lost a crucial piece to their team

While the Denver Nuggets are favored by many to win the NBA Finals again next season, they will have to run it back without a crucial piece to their championship roster. Losing Bruce Brown to the Indiana Pacers in free agency, Denver will enter next season without their versatile guard.

Recently joining Patrick Beverley's Pat Bev Podcast, Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell shared the harsh reality of just how big Brown's loss will be for the defending champions.

"Losing Bruce Brown hurt them," Russell said. "Losing Bruce Brown hurt them, though. Nah, [Christian Braun] is solid, but Bruce Brown is like unpredictable, bro. He could go three of five from the three, play point guard, get you in the bonus, shoot 10-12 free throws. He's just a problem, I think. I think any team that wants and appreciates him, he's only going to get better."

Having played against him in the Western Conference Finals, Russell knows how impactful Brown is. There were multiple playoff games that Denver would not have won without Brown, so they will have to find a way to replicate his production elsewhere. As Russell mentioned, the obvious replacement is a step forward from Christian Braun, but it's hard to rely on a young player to fill that role, even with the success Braun had in the playoffs last season.

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