Suns’ Cameron Johnson Undergoes Knee Surgery
Already without veteran forward Jae Crowder, the Phoenix Suns are now left even thinner on the and at the power forward position with Cameron Johnson now being sidelined indefinitely.
Johnson suffered a right knee injury on November 4 against the Portland Trail Blazers and The Athletic reported shortly after that the team feared Johnson had a torn meniscus in his right knee.
On Tuesday, Cam Johnson underwent successful surgery that removed part of the meniscus in his right knee. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhost, Johnson will likely return in one to two months, depending on the progress he makes during his recovery.
Undergoing a similar surgery on his left knee during his season year at North Carolina in 2017, Johnson ended up returning in five weeks.
After being a Sixth Man of the Year candidate for the Suns a season ago, Johnson stepped into the starting rotation this year as a result of Crowder asking for a trade and being away from the team.
Starting in all eight games he had played in for the Suns this year, Johnson was averaging 13.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 44.6 percent from the floor and 43.1 percent from three-point range.
As of right now, there are no indications that the Suns and Crowder will work out their differences in wake of the injury to Johnson, as Crowder is still wanting a fresh start with a new team.
As Windhorst notes, Cam Johnson and the Suns were unable to reach an agreement on a long-term extension last month before the start of the 2022-23 season, which will result in him becoming a restricted free agent next summer.
The Phoenix Suns currently find themselves 7-3 ten games into the new season, which is tied for the second-best record in the Western Conference with the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets.
In Johnson’s absence, veterans Torrey Craig and Damion Lee figure to see more minutes out on the wing with the possibility of Josh Okogie working his way into the rotation at some point.
There is no set date for Cameron Johnson’s potential return, but it is unlikely at this time that he will play in another game before the start of 2023.
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