Take a look at Cameron Johnson, man.
There have been no Nets-related commerce rumors final summer season that didn’t point out his title. The mere considered such a drastic change in state of affairs can weigh closely on a participant. Whether or not they skilled it earlier than doesn’t make it any simpler. It makes it extra irritating. No completed participant desires to be decreased to a journeyman within the NBA.
Johnson may have checked out. That half would have been easy. He may have fallen sufferer to the “disease of me,” tuned out teaching, his teammates and ignored all veteran accountability. However Johnson has not delved into such selfishness this season. The identical may very well be stated about his fellow veterans who’ve reportedly been on the commerce block, guys akin to Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith.
“All three of us have definitely been traded before, and it’s not something that we’re worried about,” Johnsons stated. “There’s a lot of speculation about a lot of things, all of our whole careers, my whole career, speculation about this, speculation about that. You hear a lot of outside noise. There’s no sense in letting it bother you. There’s no sense in letting it get to you. Let the future be the future. Control what you can control now.”
These are the phrases of a consummate skilled. Johnson, 28, is as soon as once more proving to be simply that, maybe extra so than some other season he has spent within the league. And his persistence has been rewarded in what’s shaping as much as be the very best offensive season of his profession.
Chatting with reporters after scoring a season-high 34 factors with six 3-pointers within the Nets’ 116-115 defeat of the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday at Barclays Heart, the ahead stated he has merely been taking part in throughout the movement of the Nets’ offense, staying aggressive, taking what the protection offers him, doing no matter head coach Jordi Fernandez asks of him.
Johnson didn’t sound like a person who had a chip on his shoulder, or somebody who harbored resentment for the persistent commerce rumors and slights that have been thrown his approach final season. He gave the impression of a participant who was totally assured in himself. The kind of constant veteran who often contributes to profitable.
“He’s been big, he’s been hooping,” Trendon Watford said. “He’s been shooting the ball very well, helping his teammates… I’m not surprised by it at all. Last year was last year. He obviously heard all the noise and took it with a grain of salt and came back. And now he’s doing what we know CJ can do.”
Johnson averaged 13.4 factors, 4.3 rebounds and a pair of.4 assists throughout 58 video games final season whereas capturing 44.6% from the sphere and 39.1% from deep. It was his lowest-scoring season since his 2021-22 marketing campaign with the Phoenix Suns. He missed 24 video games whole, most due to harm. He missed seven of the Nets’ first eight video games final season and missed a minimum of three consecutive video games 4 occasions.
“It’s hard to just miss time, come back and think everything’s going to work out,” Johnson stated.
Whereas Brooklyn is barely 15 video games into the 2024-25 season, Johnson has began all of them and the harm bug has not bit him but. If the season ended at present, his scoring common of 18.1 factors per recreation can be the best of his profession, as would his discipline objective proportion of 47.9%. And after having simply six video games with a minimum of 20 factors final season, he has already matched that in his first 15 appearances this season.
Johnson’s true capturing proportion of 64.7% would even be a profession greatest. His worth to the Nets has by no means been larger. His influence on the sport has by no means been higher.
“I think he does it in a very selfless way,” Fernandez stated. “That’s the best thing about him is he leads by example with his consistency and also, you see results. So, as great a player that he is, he’s performing at a high level, but also his personality I think that it’s contagious. Everybody is very happy for him and the games that he’s performing like this we got to find him.”
