With Cameron Johnson officially signed and finalized to join the Denver Nuggets, Johnson is set to open a new, exciting chapter in his burgeoning professional basketball career. Before that, he spent one season with the Brooklyn Nets, following a previous stop with the Phoenix Suns. The convoluted trade that brought Johnson to Denver barely one-upped that most complex move. This complexity serves to underscore the fluid, dynamic macro environment of the NBA today.
The trade unfolded when the Nets dealt Johnson, along with Mikal Bridges and four first-round draft picks, to the Suns in exchange for superstar Kevin Durant. During his time with the Brooklyn Nets, Johnson manifested that potential. As a lead guard, he averaged career-highs of 18.8 points and 3.4 assists in 57 games last season. Standing 6-foot-8, Smith’s skill set as a mobile forward jumps off the page. His elite long-range accuracy and plug-and-play perimeter defense would fit him with virtually any franchise line-up.
In an even more unexpected twist, the Nets soon after dealt Johnson to the New York Knicks. The Knicks moved quickly and sent him to the Denver Nuggets. In exchange, they got back five first-round selections as well as the forward Bojan Bogdanovic, who last year retired due to injury. This specific series of trades is one example of a chaotic and unpredictable arms race that is the modern NBA.
And for all his positive pedigree, Johnson has fallen on hard times in his fledgling tenure with the Nuggets. In fact, in his first dozen games with the team, he averaged just 8.2 points per game. Despite this, he had rough shooting struggles with making only 38.9% from the field. Most recently, Johnson flashed that star power with a season-high 19 points. Oh by the way…he had a sick six field goals from deep!
“I’ve got to be myself and do what I do,” Johnson stated as he works to find his rhythm within the Nuggets’ system. He admitted that moving to a new squad would be difficult, but had faith in his ability to adapt.
“They give me an opportunity to do that. That’s just on me.” – Cameron Johnson
Johnson then went on to play for the rebuilding Nets for the next three seasons. He always found himself in high-leverage situations, especially while he was in the Reds organization. Reflecting on his previous team, he noted that he frequently wonders if the Suns could have returned to the NBA Finals had they kept their core players together.
Johnson explained, “It’s not just hard, it’s impossible. He noted that this challenge has been in the game and continued, “I’ve been playing a long time. He recognizes that change can be frustrating but insists that it stems from a deep care for his performance and contribution.
Johnson’s transition hasn’t escaped the attention of his teammates and coaching staff. In Johnson’s case, Nuggets head coach David Adelman sounded positive on the impact the 29-year-old can have going forward.
“There is always a silver lining in these games in a long season. He was very confident shooting the ball. … Hopefully, this is kind of a launching pad for Cam.” – David Adelman
Teammate Jamal Murray echoed Adelman’s sentiments, emphasizing that making shots should not be Johnson’s only concern.
“I’m not worried about Cam. Making shots is the least of the worries… He had a rough start, but good for him to see the ball go in.” – Jamal Murray
And as Johnson gets more comfortable with the Nuggets’ rotation, he’s still hellbent on earning his place in the overall structure of a winning franchise. He knows that he will have to work harder than anyone to justify his selection. This is especially key given how many of his new teammates have been playing together for years.
People have been asking, ‘What’s wrong with Cam?’ Well, it’s going to take place. Cam is going to make shots. That’s the takeaway,” Adelman said, full of confidence in the capabilities of Johnson.
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