The Nuggets got another win on Wednesday night for their sixth straight, beating the Clippers, 130-116 in LA. Nikola Jokic erupted for 55 points, and the bench played well for most of the night, but the Nuggets’ depth may have taken a short-term blow as two starters left the game with injuries.
First, it was Cam Johnson, who suffered an arm injury in the first quarter and quickly headed to the locker room. Shortly after, Christian Braun took an awkward step and left the game with an ankle injury.
Both players were ruled out after halftime and did not return to the game. There has been no update on the severity of either injury, and neither one seemed major in the moment, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t miss time.
Johnson and Braun struggling before injuries
Even before these injuries, Braun and Johnson have been struggling mightily to start the season. These may not be long-term injuries that have a major impact on the season, but these are two key starters who desperately need to find a rhythm.
Johnson has gotten off to a brutal start to his Nuggets career, and Braun hasn’t looked like the same player since signing his extension. Those two starting wings are vital to Denver’s success, and the team needs them to get going on both ends.
Now, these guys may be forced to miss time, time that would be crucial for getting in sync with the team. These early-season games are critical reps, especially for Johnson to find his footing in Denver, and now he may be playing catch-up by the time he returns to the lineup.
It’s not the time to panic or overreact too much, especially since we don’t even know if either player will miss time yet. But it’s fair to have some level of concern given the extremely slow start to the season for Johnson, and now this injury on top of that.
Braun has been with the team and playing with most of these guys long enough that he should be fun. His shot has been off, but there’s plenty of reason to believe he’ll be able to hit the ground running and find his footing before long, regardless of how long he may be sidelined with this ankle injury.
The Johnson situation is much more concerning, and if this ailment lingers, we may quickly find ourselves well into the season with no signs of improvement from the Nuggets’ biggest offseason acquisition.