As the regular season has progressed, it's becoming a bit tougher to be optimistic about the Denver Nuggets seriously challenging for the championship. They could boost their chances, though, by pulling Cameron Johnson out of the starting lineup and replacing him with Peyton Watson or Spencer Jones.
Will the Nuggets take such a risk this late in the campaign? They might not have that much of a choice, given how far they have slid down the standings from the No. 2 spot.
Adelman has a tough decision to make
Someone might also have to convince David Adelman to consider the shift. Following Denver's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier this month, the Nuggets coach declared, "Cam's our starting small forward," despite the wing player laying an egg and struggling to move on the floor due to his injuries.
It may have simply been a candid statement from Adelman. On the other hand, it could be perceived as an assurance that the squad will stick with Johnson as the starter for better or for worse.
Cam has been struggling on offense
The main problem with Cam right now is two-fold: He doesn't offer much on offense, and he has been a liability on defense.
When Denver traded for him last summer, it was presumably hoping to land a cost-effective upgrade over Michael Porter Jr. Evidently, that has not been the case. Johnson has scored just 11.1 points per game on 44.4 percent shooting this year. And while he has sunk over 40 percent of his attempts from downtown, he is averaging a career-low 4.4 three-point tries per contest.
It has not impacted the Nuggets that much, as evidenced by their top-ranked offense this year. However, once the playoffs start and the opposing defense tightens up, Johnson's tendency to stand and wait for the ball to come to him could shrink the floor for Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Due to Jokic's court vision and Murray's gravity, it’s better for the team to surround them with movement shooters and cutters as much as possible. Watson and Jones have done much better in those areas than Cam this year. There's also no need to worry that the Nuggets would miss Johnson's marksmanship because Watson and Jones have shot 41.7 percent and 39.5 percent, respectively, from three this season.
Maybe a move to the second unit can provide Cam with more opportunities to shine on offense and justify the club's decision to bring him in last offseason.
Cam has been lackadaisical on defense
The primary reason behind the suggestion to bench Johnson is the uninspiring defense he has displayed in his first year with the squad.
To be fair, he is hardly to blame for the Nuggets' ranking 22nd in defensive rating this season. But with Christian Braun seemingly regressing as a point-of-attack defender, Aaron Gordon being in and out of the lineup, and Murray being an easy target on defense for opposing ball-handlers, the fifth starter has to be an above-average defender.
Expecting Johnson to be that kind of player at this point in his career might be asking too much. Meanwhile, Watson and Jones have shown promise on that end of the court.
The time is running out for Johnson to snap out of his funk. As such, the Nuggets should explore the idea of mixing it up if they want to salvage the season and make some noise in the playoffs.