Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Sharif Phillips-Keaton
May 27, 2024 11:13 am ET
Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson was a player that came into the 2023-24 season with some lofty expectations given that he signed a four-year, $94.5 million contract last offseason. After coming to Brooklyn in the middle of the 2022-23 season as a result of the Kevin Durant trade, Johnson played well in an elevated role for the Nets as he was essentially the second scoring option alongside his “twin” Mikal Bridges.
After signing his deal, Johnson was expected to be the second or third scoring option on an offense that was supposed to revolve around Bridges, Johnson, and point guard Spencer Dinwiddie. However, Johnson appeared to be behind the curve as he suffered an hamstring strain heading into training camp and while he was able to play in the season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Johnson suffered a left calf contusion that cost him the next seven games.
From that point on, Johnson was relatively healthy as the most games he missed consecutively (excluding him missing the final five games of the regular season) was four in the beginning of February. Ultimately, Johnson did not maintain his production from the 2022-23 season in terms of points per game or overall shooting percentage. Here’s how he graded out for the 2023-24 campaign:
Stats
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
- 13.4 PPG
- 4.3 RPG
- 2.4 APG
- 0.8 SPG
- 0.3 BPG
- 44.6 FG%
- 39.1 3FG%
- 78.9 FT%
Scoring Regression
Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Johnson’s scoring went down from what he did in 25 games during the 2022-23 season. Not only did he go from pouring in 16.6 points per game to just 13.4 points per game this season, but he also went from 12.0 field-goal attempts per game to just 10.7 this year. The main reason for that was the rise of Cam Thomas as he exploded from scoring 10.6 points per game last season to 22.5 points per game this season while going from 8.0 field-goal attempts last season to 18.0 field-goal attempts this year. As Johnson took on a lesser role in the offense, he also notably did not shoot the ball nearly as well from two-point range this season (51.9%) as he did last season (57.2%).
Dribble-drive Game
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
One of the areas that Johnson has grown in during his time in Brooklyn has been his ability to take his defenders off the dribble. Granted, Johnson’s main way of contributing on the offensive end of the floor is by shooting the three-ball, but he has had some highlight plays with the way that he can finish at the rim when he builds up enough steam. Johnson still has to improve on his dribble-drive game if he’s going to be more of a contributor on the offensive end, especially when the defense is forcing him off the three-point line.
CAM JOHNSON POSTER 😱 pic.twitter.com/HCB9S60PTP
— NBA TV (@NBATV) December 1, 2023
Defense
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Johnson isn’t regarded as a defensive stopper and on some possessions, his defense did leave a lot to be desired. However, there were also plenty of possessions where Johnson showed that he can be a solid defender when the matchup is there or when he isn’t caught in rotation on someone who’s considerably quicker than he is. With that being said, Johnson was part of the reason that the Nets were disappointing as a defensive unit, but he could have a bounceback year on the defensive end next season.
Cam Johnson—known for being a sniper & closeout killer, but his defensive tape has a lot to offer
Great hands. Controlled closeouts. Huge positional size. Smooth feet on guards & strong body/length on wings. Excellent team defender in help. 96th percentile D-RPM. Cam = very good pic.twitter.com/e4Vy1sqzMv
— NBA University (@NBA_University) July 28, 2023
Grade: C
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
While Johnson did plenty of good things last season with his shooting and expansion of his game of the dribble, he did not meet expectations in terms of what he did in the previous season. Plus, he missed 24 games, which did not spell concerns of his durability. However, in the grand scheme of things, Johnson was still one of the better players on the offensive end and could see a different role under the guidance of Jordi Fernandez.
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