
As Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson awaits the outcome of potential trade talks, he has found himself taking on an increasingly significant role in Brooklyn’s offense, which has also made him a primary target for opposing defenses.
This shift comes in the wake of a series of injuries within the team and last week’s trade of Dennis Schröder to Golden State, which has left the Nets needing Johnson to step up.
According to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, Johnson’s expanded responsibilities have been met with heightened defensive pressure from opponents. Utah, the latest team to exploit this dynamic, repeatedly trapped Johnson during Saturday’s game.
The aggressive strategy caused him to commit six turnovers while struggling with his shot, going 2-for-9 from three-point range.
Brooklyn’s head coach Jordi Fernandez acknowledged both the defensive tactics used by Utah and Johnson’s difficulties in adapting to his new responsibilities.
“The one thing – obviously good job on them for blitzing CJ – but six turnovers to five assists, it’s not good enough,” Fernandez admitted.
“The intentions were good; he was throwing the pass to the short roll. It was just the execution was not good. For the most part, he knew what we’re supposed to do, he’s just never been in that position.”
Fernandez highlighted the contrast between Johnson’s struggles and the team’s past success when dealing with similar defensive strategies.
“Every time Cam Thomas has been blitzed, we’ve got a clean execution out of it,” he noted. “If you turn it over every time, or a lot of times you got blitzed, [it’s bad].”
Despite the challenges, Fernandez recognized improvement in Johnson’s performance as the game progressed.
“In the second half, he was better,” he said. “But those turnovers, for sure we paid for it.”
Johnson has completed six NBA seasons with the Suns and Nets, posting career averages of 12.4 points and 3.9 rebounds across 310 regular-season games.
Atlantic Notes: C. Johnson, Raptors, Barnes, Embiid, Maxey https://t.co/jadF1cDHtJ pic.twitter.com/9tmHrrxYKC
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) December 23, 2024