The worst part of the Denver Nuggets' game against the Trail Blazers on Monday wasn't the loss; it was watching Cam Johnson grab his left hamstring with a little over a minute left. After missing three games already this season with a sprained ankle, it now looks like he'll be out for several weeks.
At this point, it's hard not to wonder whether Denver will get what it needs from Johnson because of injuries. He played 54 games last season, missing time for several different injuries, with a right knee bone bruise and hyperextension keeping him sidelined the longest.
As the Kroenkes evaluated moves to make over the offseason, they kept a Johnson trade off the table, likely because they invested a first-round pick in him a year earlier (so much for the optimism). The value he provides on the floor probably factored in, too, but here the Nuggets are, six games into the season, and the forward has been available for only half of those.
Denver hasn't announced anything yet about the extent of Johnson's latest injury, but soft-tissue injuries are no joke. Just refer back to how the past few years have gone for the Nuggets.
Cam Johnson grabs his hamstring at the end of Nuggets-Blazers 😳 pic.twitter.com/dQ3PIdOEe6
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) November 3, 2026
Cam Johnson is dealing with a hamstring injury
The 30-year-old is in the final year of his current contract and is making $23 million. Johnson is playing for his future in Denver, which he can't do without being on the floor. It's unfortunate for him and the Nuggets to face yet another injury setback, since he is a good fit for this team.
Denver's decision to trade Michael Porter Jr. to Brooklyn for Johnson gave it much-needed financial flexibility, but it also mattered that Cam was seen as on the same level as (if not higher than) MPJ in terms of what he could give the Nuggets. And we've already seen this season how important the spacing he provides is, which makes his injury that much more concerning.
The silver lining is that it is early in the season, so Johnson has time to recover before the Nuggets enter the second stretch of the season and, most importantly, the playoffs. But soft-tissue injuries can linger, giving Denver something else to worry about on top of the injury concerns that existed before Monday's game.
There is still time for Johnson to prove the Nuggets right, so let's not hit the panic button yet, but it's not reassuring that we're just two weeks into the season and he's hit two roadblocks.
If he can't stay healthy, it's hard not to wonder whether his time in Denver will end sooner than he and the front office would've liked.
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