Is it worth it? The two young players completed their contract extensions, each with a contract worth over US$100 million, but they are still questioned by the media!

As the 2022 rookies enter the last season of their rookie contracts in the 25-26 season, they will also usher in the peak period of their careers. After all, starting from the fifth season of their careers, they will receive more salary. Of course, these not only require them to use outstanding performance to fight for themselves, but also require personal charm and the estimation of the economic team to get a satisfactory contract.

Recently, two young players who have performed well have successively completed contract extensions. They are Dyson Daniels of the Hawks and Christian Braun of the Nuggets. Both of them have received a contract worth more than 100 million U.S. dollars, which in the past was a level that only top stars could reach. While marveling at the rising wages in the NBA, the two of them are also under a certain amount of pressure. After all, whether they are worthy of this contract is still a question mark. Let us take a look at the performance of the two!

Dyson Daniels

Last season's statistics: 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3 steals

Contract received: 4 years and US$100 million

First of all, let's talk about Daniels of the Hawks. He is from Australia and entered the NBA with the 8th pick in the lottery in the first round. It's just that because he was born in the former G League Ignite team, although his overall talent and potential are good, the Pelicans unfortunately did not focus on training him after they selected him. In this way, he was put on the bench and spent the first two seasons of his career without any trouble. Not only was he regarded as a parallel import, but he also missed a very valuable period of ball growth.

Fortunately, Daniels was not buried. Since the Pelicans hoped to get Dejounte Murray, and the Hawks specified requirements to add Daniels to the transaction, he successfully left the place of right and wrong. After coming to Atlanta, he was directly assigned as the team's starting guard, partnering with Trae Young, and the results were satisfactory. His potential on the defensive end was realized, and he contributed an astonishing defensive steal performance. He finally handed over a gorgeous data of 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3 steals. Although the Eagles failed to enter the playoffs, he still attracted the attention of many teams.

Not only that, he also won the Most Improved Player Award and the Best Defensive First Team last season, and won the title of steals king. It can be said that at the age of 22, he has reached a small peak. However, when it comes to contract renewal, the Eagles did not give Daniels the four-year $150 million he expected, but were only willing to give him $100 million.

What was even more surprising to everyone was that after careful consideration, Daniels actually chose to accept it readily. This is actually understandable after careful analysis. Although Daniels performed well last season, his offense was still relatively rough, especially his outside shooting. His three-point shooting rate was only 34%. In today's era, this is completely unqualified efficiency. And although his performance on the defensive end is good, he still insists on gambling steals in many cases, so overall, Daniels is not as good as the data shows.

Daniels’ team probably understood this situation, so they chose to renew the insurance contract. Of course, if he can perform convincingly in the future, he will still have a chance to get a big contract. After all, he is only 22 years old now, so this contract extension is a suitable signing for both the Eagles and Daniels himself.

Christian Braun

Last season’s statistics: 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals

Contract received: 5 years, $125 million

Let's talk about Braun. When he participated in the NBA draft, he was already 21 years old and had almost no potential to further explore. Compared with other players in the same class, his physical fitness was also average, so he was not selected until the 21st pick in the first round. Not only that, in the first two seasons of entering the NBA, because the team had strong players such as Bruce Brown and Caldwell-Pope, Braun had very few opportunities and it was difficult to get into Mike Malone's sight.

Of course, one thing about Braun is quite surprising, that is, he works very hard. As long as he has the opportunity, he can devote 100% of his energy to the game. As the team's championship lineup was dismantled, he got the opportunity last season. Not only did he become a stable backcourt starter, but he also averaged 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game. His overall performance was indeed pretty good. It was one of the key factors that led to the Nuggets reaching the playoffs and fighting the eventual champion Thunder to the seventh game, but ultimately losing.

But the Nuggets are also very cautious when it comes to contract renewal. Braun's progress is indeed seen, but he also has many problems. First of all, his ability to play such beautiful statistics and games is actually largely related to the strong containment of the team's core Nikola Jokic. After all, both Pope and Brown have declined in form after leaving the team. Not only that, Braun's defense has always been a big problem, often becoming a breakthrough point for opponents at critical moments. In the playoffs last season, although he averaged 12.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, it still dropped a lot compared to the regular season. Moreover, his efficiency cannot be compared with the regular season. Therefore, for insurance purposes, the team offered a five-year contract extension of US$125 million.

The annual salary of 25 million seems to have become the standard for an elite role player, but relatively speaking, Braun's contract extension is still not worth it. If he cannot solve the more stringent defense in the future, then this contract may very well make him more and more questioned..