Cameron Johnson has played well for the Suns. Handed the starting four spot this season, he’s averaging 13 points a game, shooting 43.1% from 3, and is part of a Suns’ defense that is top five in the NBA.
Now they will be without him for an extended period as he has torn the meniscus in his right knee, the team confirmed Sunday morning following an MRI (Shams Charania of The Athletic said this was coming Saturday night). From the official release:
Phoenix Suns forward Cam Johnson has sustained a torn meniscus in his right knee. He will undergo surgery and be out until further notice.
The meniscus is the shock absorber for the knee (as Jeff Stotts at In Street Clothes puts it), and recovery time from a meniscus surgery varies widely, depending on where the tear is and the severity of it, which impacts the kind of surgery — is it a repair or removal. Doctors prefer to do a repair for the long-term health of the knee, which would mean months of recovery, while the timeline for a removal is closer to 6-8 weeks.
Johnson was given the starting power forward job with Jae Crowder away from the team awaiting a trade (Crowder had wanted a contract extension that Phoenix was not offering, and the Suns were leaning toward starting Johnson for the added shooting and athleticism anyway). While the Suns could ask, it’s highly unlikely Crowder returns while Johnson recovers. That means more Dario Saric and Torey Craig, most likely.
The Suns are off to a 7-2 start and are atop the Western Conference early in the season.
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Suns’ forward Cameron Johnson suffers torn meniscus in right knee originally appeared on NBCSports.com