Over the past sixth months, the Denver Nuggets have gone through a complete makeover on various levels of the organization. Just before the postseason, the franchise parted with its head coach and GM. Then, later in the summer, they made a major shake-up to the roster.
Despite being a viable third option behind Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, the Nuggets decided to move on from Michael Porter Jr. this offseason. He was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for veteran wing Cam Johnson.
Johnson provides a very similar skill set as MPJ, but at half the cost. He’s put up some of his best numbers with the Nets in an expanded role. Johnson is coming off a 2025 campaign where he averaged a career-high 18.8 PPG while shooting 39% from beyond the arc on high volume.
In his new situation, Johnson will look to provide a boost to the Nuggets’ offense as they look to get back in the title hunt in the Western Conference. Many expect him to make a fine addition to the roster, with ESPN’s Kevin Pelton ranking him as the third-best newcomer in the NBA this year.
“Given the remarkable similarity between Johnson’s production for the Brooklyn Nets and the production of the player he’s replacing in Denver (Michael Porter Jr.), one of the fascinating questions going into this season is whether Johnson will perform better now that he gets to team with three-time MVP Nikola Jokic,” Pelton wrote. “Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s poor season with the Orlando Magic has fueled the idea of a Jokic effect on 3-point shooting in particular. The larger sample is mixed.”
When playing alongside an elite playmaker in Chris Paul in Phoenix, Johnson shot just shy of 43% from deep. Now sharing the floor with one of the league’s best passers in Jokic, he very well could get back to this mark. Especially considering the kind of gravity the three-time MVP draws from opposing defenses.
Given his strong complementary skill set, Johnson has a chance to be one of Denver’s biggest X-factors in their quest for a second championship.
