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As two Nuggets starters inch closer to a return, another will replace them in street clothes on the sideline.
Cam Johnson is expected to miss at least four to six weeks after hyperextending his right knee Tuesday in Dallas, the team announced before hosting Minnesota on Christmas. Johnson underwent an MRI that revealed a bone bruise on Wednesday — a best-case outcome after a painful landing that could’ve resulted in structural ligament damage.
Still, after another day of assessing the severity of the injury, Denver determined Johnson will be its third starter to miss a stretch of four or more weeks this season. Aaron Gordon (hamstring) and Christian Braun (ankle) have not played in December, with coach David Adelman eyeing an upcoming seven-game road trip as the earliest opportunity for one or both to return from injuries.
Johnson, 29, is averaging 11.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in his first season as a Nugget. Denver traded Michael Porter Jr. and a future first-round pick for him in June. He started the season in a nasty slump but turned a corner around mid-November, helping the Nuggets to an 10-5 record in games without Gordon and Braun.
In his last 17 games — including Tuesday’s loss in Dallas when he suffered the injury — Johnson was averaging 14.6 points on 52.3% shooting from beyond the arc. He started staggering with Denver’s bench unit more frequently as Adelman tried to navigate the ailing health of his rotation, a tweak that allowed Johnson to grow comfortable by playing with the ball in his hands more.
In the starting lineup, Johnson has been a spacing threat and dangerous off-ball movement shooter next to Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Perhaps the biggest looming area of concern regarding Johnson when the Nuggets traded for him was his injury history, which includes a surgery on a right knee in 2022 to repair an injured meniscus. He missed 89 combined regular-season games over the last three years with Brooklyn and Phoenix.
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Bennett Durando
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