Cameron Johnson highlighted the importance of activity and decisiveness in Denver’s 129-93 victory over Houston Wednesday night at Ball Arena. “Just being a little more active, a little bit more involved and moving around, trying to find windows, trying to find lanes,” Johnson said on his approach to the game.
The forward described the matchup as a reset for the team, similar to a preseason adjustment with returning players. “It’s almost like a restart, almost like preseason in a way because of so many guys coming back, other guys kind of figuring out what where they fit as other guys come back,” Johnson explained.
Johnson expressed confidence in the Nuggets’ ability to regain early-season form. “I definitely do. One, because I have faith in who we are and what we’re doing. And two because we’ve seen it enough of it already, especially early,” he said.
On the defensive end, Johnson credited understanding the team plan for his effectiveness. “Sometimes it’s just when you start to get a clear picture of what you have to do on defense… it just makes you more decisive and makes you look quicker on the defensive end,” he added.
The 26-year-old also reflected on adjusting his personal role amid rotation changes. “There’s definitely still an element of figuring it out and it kind of changes on you a little bit from here to there based on who’s playing. Everybody keeps telling me at the end of the day just be myself and do that,” Johnson said.
He acknowledged guidance from the coaching staff and teammates in finding his rhythm. “DA first and foremost, Mike Moser, assistant JJ Barea… it becomes a personal responsibility of understanding how to be most efficient in my impact on the game,” he stated.
Johnson emphasized long-term goals beyond a single game. “Our goals are a lot bigger than tonight. Our goals are to keep playing deep into the spring and into early summer. So we got to step on that to get going,” he said.
He reflected on lessons from the first 10 games of the season with the original starting lineup. “I see just what I was trying to figure out then and it’s just a work in progress. We still have to get P-Wat [Peyton Watson] back too. That adds a crucial dimension to our team,” Johnson noted.
Ultimately, Johnson credited decisive movement as a key area of growth. “Just a little bit more of a decisive movement. I found myself being way too indecisive for too long in the season and just trying to figure out where plays are, coverages, actions, and spacing of teammates,” he said.
Denver improved to 40-26 and moved within half a game of Houston in the Western Conference standings.
