A lot has been made about Cam Johnson’s shooting slump and how his numbers are way down from his career marks, and especially his work this past season in Brooklyn. And while that’s all true, it’s not fair to overlook the impact he’s making in this offense, simply by doing his job and creating space for Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray to operate.
Adam Mares of DNVR Sports put it perfectly on a recent episode of the Athletic NBA Daily Show. He was a guest on the show and was asked about Cam’s struggles, but explained that other than missing shots, he’s doing everything very well and is helping the team a lot.
He explained that oftentimes, that role is actually judged by how well Jokic and Murray are playing, and how their efficiency has looked. Obviously, Jokic and Murray are off to great starts and are playing supremely efficient basketball.
That’s a big testament to Johnson for spacing the court, cutting, playing off the stars, and fitting into the offense. Johnson is doing that all to perfection, and the proof is in the pudding with how good the stars have looked around him and how well the offense has played overall when Johnson is on the court, despite his shots not falling.
Nuggets need to find ways to get Johnson in rhythm
It’s great that Johnson is fitting in and helping the team, but there has to be more to his role. The Nuggets gave up a lot to get him, and he’s a much more versatile player than the one he’s replacing in Michael Porter Jr. But MPJ would find ways to get his shots up and always got his numbers.
Cam isn’t going to go off script like that, which is a good thing, but in turn, Denver needs to run more plays for him and needs to involve him in more pick-and-roll actions. The shot should come around, and he’s capable of filling the corners, but frankly, he’s overqualified for that role.
He can do a lot more, and perhaps he’ll get a chance to prove that thanks to the injuries in the starting lineup. The Nuggets will be without Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon for at least a month, which means lots more opportunities for Johnson.
Hopefully, he’s able to take advantage and can get himself into a nice groove here. If he’s able to get hot and find his confidence, there’s a chance that this roster gets healthy in a month or so, and really takes off. That’s what we’ve all been waiting to see.