For Cam Johnson, a chance at redemption in new season
Cam Johnson was one of two Nets players who were on hand for Jordi Fernandez’s In between answering media questions, smiling through photo shoots and glad-handing last week, Jordi Fernandez got to talk to two of his players at HSS Training Center: Dariq Whitehead and Cam Johnson.
Both were getting up shots at one of the practice courts high above New York Harbor just before the introductory press conference began and each spent a few minutes with the new boss. While Fernandez said he had already spoken to most of the Brooklyn Nets players, the conversation between he and Johnson looked like their first face-to-face. They talked for a few minutes, then moved on. Although reporters were nearby, they didn’t overhear what the two discussed. Was it advice about Brooklyn neighborhoods or back-and-forth on what position CJ might be playing next season? No way to tell.
Johnson did admit he was as disappointed in the season that cost Fernandez’s predecessor, Jacque Vaughn, his job and cost him, the Nets second highest paid player, his starting job.
“It’s part of it,” Johnson said of the disappointment of not starting 11 of the final 18 games he appeared in. “Nobody ever says anything will be handed to you, anything will be easy, adversity won’t come up, so it’s part of it. You just got to take it, keep it pushing, keep working, and focus on tomorrow, focus on what we can do today.”
Fernandez didn’t talk much about roster specifics in taking media questions other than the priority of keeping Nic Claxton around and how in general he thinks the roster is more talented than what you’d expect from a 50-loss squad.
Johnson will no doubt be one of the new coach’s biggest challenges, getting him back to where he was after the February 2023 trade when he averaged 16.6 points over the final 25 games of the regular season then 18.5 in the first round loss to the 76ers. That performance won the 6’8” wing a guaranteed $94.5 million deal over four years.
He and the team were happy enough with each other last summer to construct a contract so that for the sake of flexibility Johnson was paid upfront. the contract paid him nearly $25 million last season then will drop to $22.5 million next season, then drop again to $20.5 million in 2025-26 when the Nets are expected to be big players in free agency. While some fans may want Johnson gone, it’s rarely a smart thing to deal a player, particularly a relatively young one, when his value is at its lowest.
As C.J. Holmes writes Tuesday, Johnson’s numbers had taken a dive from what he had done in both Phoenix and Brooklyn— and, more importantly, what the organization had hoped for. Johnson averaged 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists this past season while shooting 44.6% from the field and 39.1% from deep. Moreover, he missed 24 games to various leg injuries: including all of training camp to a hamstring issue, then more time to calf, ankle and finally a toe sprain. Like his “twin,” Johnson was coming off the FIBA World Cup tour. He may not have played that many minutes, but like Bridges he was part of a two-month, 13-game, 25,000-mile experience.
“I feel like the pieces are there. I feel like the base is there. I feel like it’s possible, it’s accomplishable,” said of a resurge in team fortunes. “Obviously, we failed in our mission this year, point-blank period, no way around that” Johnson said before Fernandez was hired, as Holmes noted.
“That’s all part of the process. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, you just got to get better and focus on what we can do going forward. And that’s where my head’s at right now, how we can elevate the organization, how we can be better on the court, off the court and get back on track to where we think we should be.”
That’s pretty standard fare, of course, particularly since it was said before Fernandez was hired and no one knew what to expect. Better to be robustly positive. But if the Nets and their new head coach are going to succeed next season, Johnson will need to get better.
Cam Johnson remains confident in himself, Nets: ‘I feel like the pieces are there’ ($) - C.J. Holmes - New York Daily News
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings