There were plenty of big takeaways from the Nuggets’ opening night loss to the Warriors, so it flew a bit under the radar that Cam Johnson looked out of sorts in his debut with the Nuggets. He played 32 minutes in the overtime loss, but scored just 5 points on 2-8 shooting.
Luckily, he looked much more at home in his first game in Denver on Saturday night, helping the team crush the Suns, 133-111 in Ball Arena. Johnson thrived on both ends and, more importantly, looked comfortable and found his role in the offense.
He finished with 15 points, 4 rebounds, an assist, and a steal in 25 minutes. He shot just 4-9 from the field and 1-3 from three-point range, so there’s plenty of room for improvement still, but he did get to the line, earning six free throws and making them all.
The Nuggets gave up a lot to get Johnson, and part of the reason is that he should be a perfect fit in the starting lineup, replacing Michael Porter Jr. We didn’t exactly see that in game one, but you got a much better look at the vision on Saturday.
Nuggets need Johnson to shoot more threes
Denver steamrolled the Suns by scoring around the basket and getting to the line, but that’s not going to work every game. They struggled with three-point volume last season, and they need to make a concerted effort to get more shots up. They’ve got the personnel to do it, and their efficiency has been good, but they’ve got to let it fly.
Johnson is a big part of that, as he should benefit from the advantages created by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray as much as anyone. He can play with or without the ball and has proven more than capable of shooting off the catch or dribble.
He’s also replacing a high-volume guy in MPJ, who was arguably the team’s most lethal shooter. Mike had plenty of flaws, but he knew his role in this offense, running tirelessly around screens, spacing the floor, and hoisting up shots whenever he had an inch of space.
It was an important role for a team that likes to live in the paint, and for the most part, he played it well. Ideally, Johnson should be able to do even more in that role, as he’s a much more polished all-around scorer and player. But if there’s one area that Johnson may need to tidy up, it’s shooting from long distance.