Strike 1: You know how sometimes when you change jobs and have to relocate, and you get to your new destination well before the rest of your stuff arrives? That seems to have happened with new Denver Nugget Cam Johnson and his jump shot. That portion of his belongings hasn’t quite made it to Denver from Brooklyn just yet.
Hopefully it does soon.
When it does, the Nuggets could be unstoppable.
Everyone knows that Johnson was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Michael Porter Jr. over the summer. More accurately, he was traded for MPJ’s contract, a max deal that was holding the Nuggets back. Free of the deal that was signed prior to the new and stricter NBA collective bargaining agreement, Denver’s front office was able to bring in veteran reserves like Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. who have helped transform the Nuggets bench from the team’s biggest liability into one of its many strengths.
Johnson was the one acquisition who was ticketed for the starting lineup immediately. He was going to fill MPJ’s role and hopefully some of his numbers.
However, through (just) nine games (nine starts), Johnson is averaging a meager 8 points per game. Denver has three guys averaging over 20 points per, and six Nuggets are averaging more points per game than Johnson.
But that’s not really the rub. Johnson wasn’t supposed to land in town and instantly replace MPJ’s scoring and become part of the team’s Big 3. That spot was being taken by Aaron Gordon. Johnson was supposed to come in and hit enough 3-pointers to keep defenders from double teaming Nikola Jokic and clogging the paint for cutters. Maybe do some slashing to the basket now and again, too. Be a threat.
So far, not so good. Johnson is shooting a meager 23.5 percent from 3-point land, making less than one three ball per game.
He’s been pretty bad, even on a team that’s struggled mightily from three in most of their games so far. As a team, Denver’s shooting just 35% from 3. Ugh.
Still, the Nuggets are off to a nice 7-2 start, mostly due to Joker’s six triple-doubles and the rejuvenated bench group that has made the “non-Jokic minutes” fun to watch. The good news is that this is sustainable for the most part. Joker is likely to keep doing Joker things, Jamal Murray (if he stays healthy) can continue his pace and maybe be an All-Star, and Gordon, too.
The bad news is that injuries and slumps and other things that are unexpected are likely to happen moving forward as well. That’s why it’s important that Johnson get going. Soon. Denver has to be good enough to withstand that speed bumps that lie ahead.
The Nuggets have yet to play defending NBA champs Oklahoma City, and they beat nemesis Minnesota with Anthony Edwards in street clothes. So it’s fair to say the new group hasn’t been truly tested yet. Most of the changes Denver made in the offseason were made so they could compete with the Thunder and the T-Wolves. You can toss in the two from Los Angeles, the Lakers and Clippers, too. We’ve yet to see how that’s going to play out when all involved are healthy.
The NBA’s West is going to be a gauntlet.
Hopefully Johnson’s luggage catches up with him sometime very soon.
