People expecting Cam Johnson for Michael Porter Jr. to be a seamless one-for-one swap in the Nuggets’ starting lineup are missing all of the intangibles that Johnson will bring to Denver. On paper, he may seem similar to MPJ, but looking beyond the box score, Cam offers much more to the Nuggets through his passing, screening, cutting, and overall basketball IQ.
MPJ was a movement shooter who provided little more than spacing with an occasional action run for him to come off screens and shoot. It worked because he is tall, an elite shooter, and he had Nikola Jokic feeding him perfect passes with regularity.
But when Johnson’s skillset gets on the floor with Jokic, the Nuggets' offense should be able to achieve an even higher level of performance. Jokic is going to love playing with another basketball savant in Johnson, who sees and feels the game similarly to the three-time MVP winner.
There should be a perfect mind-meld between the two parties, and there’s reason to believe that this already elite offense can take another step. If everything clicks for this starting unit, the Denver offense has a chance to be truly unstoppable.
Massive role change should maximize Johnson’s strengths
For the last few seasons, Johnson has been operating as a primary option for the Nets. He has been overly burdened with running the offense and creating with limited playmakers and finishers around him. He has been a focal point for opposing defenses, trying to lead a team that was essentially built to lose.
He did a fine job and improved as a player, but it was clear that Johnson would never be running a championship-level offense. Luckily, that won’t be his role at all in Denver as the offense runs through Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Johnson will be able to take on a secondary role that will allow him to maximize his strengths. There will be plays called for him, and times when he runs the show, but more often than not, he’ll be playing off the ball, setting screens, working as a connecting piece, or finding open spots to rain threes.
He’ll go from being the main target of defenses to an afterthought, and he should thrive attacking mismatches constantly. His shot diet will be incredible, and while his overall stats may not change, there could be a major spike in efficiency.
It’s a perfect situation for Johnson, and he’s a perfect player to pair with Jokic. It’s going to be very fun watching these basketball geniuses play together on a nightly basis.