As the Nets enter a pivotal summer for their franchise, now short of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, they find themselves with more questions than answers. The good news is some pieces of their roster don’t need much deliberation or high-stress decision-making, with Cameron Johnson being one of them.
Johnson joined the Nets via the Durant trade with Phoenix as the second of two key prospects, now 27 years old and entering his fifth NBA season he’s improved each year in the league. The Suns originally gambled on him with their lottery pick despite being an older, less physically-imposing prospect.
The gamble paid off. Johnson was an intriguing stretch four from the get-go, hitting 39 percent from deep in his rookie season.
This season he was finally elevated to full-time starter over the veteran Jae Crowder after knocking down 42.5 percent of his treys last year and having a strong run to the NBA Finals the year prior. He knocked down 45.5 percent of his threes and averaged 13.9 points per game, both career highs at the time, before the trade to Brooklyn. Upon being dealt to the now-retooling Nets, it was clear he’d be a much bigger piece, and he took the challenge in stride.
Johnson’s points per game jumped to 16.6 while his efficiency stayed strong. His three ball fell at a worse clip, but largely due to his shot diet getting much tougher.
No longer did Johnson have Chris Paul and Devin Booker setting him up, but Spencer Dinwiddie and Mikal Bridges instead. As not much of a creator himself, Johnson was forced into expanding his game and showed signs of doing so.
He became more of an inside and mid-range threat, bumping up his free throw volume and two-point output and efficiency. If Johnson keeps improving in these facets, Brooklyn will have themselves a real player.
The real test came in the postseason against a juggernaut Sixers team. The Nets may have gotten swept, but Johnson looked the part, averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists on 51 percent shooting from the field and 43 percent from three.
Game 2 was Johnson’s coming out party, with a 28-point outburst on 19 shots. If this is how he looked as a number two option, he will be plenty threatening as a number three, should the Nets upgrade from here.
Whatever direction Brooklyn goes in, they can be confident Johnson will be part of that. He’s a restricted free agent this summer and the Nets should match whatever teams throw at him.
Exactly what the number will be is still a question. The Athletic’s John Hollinger suggests it could be over $25 million a year, but most estimates fall a bit short of that range.
Teams will undoubtedly try and scare the Nets away with poison pills and no-trade clauses and other craziness they can stuff in an offer sheet. Johnson will have many suitors between Detroit, Houston and others but it would take a lot to deter Brooklyn.
Folks don’t look at 27-year-olds as developing prospects, but Johnson’s already a nice established piece and has only gotten better with each passing year. Whether the Nets go all-in for another contention run, scale down to rebuild or just trade him in pursuit of either, it would be a shock if he weren’t in the black and white next season.