New Nuggets Star Cam Johnson Explains Nikola Jokic's Elite Skill

After getting taken down in the second round of the playoffs for the second consecutive year, the Denver Nuggets went into the 2025 offseason knowing that changes needed to be made. Of course, building around three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic seems like an easy task, but the Nuggets had to make sure they finally got him the help he needs.

The most significant move that the Nuggets made this summer was trading Michael Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Cam Johnson, a cheaper and arguably more valuable player than Denver's former 14th overall pick.

Now, Johnson fits like a glove in Denver's new-look lineup, and he should be able to get the most out of his game by playing alongside Jokic.

Cam Johnson admires Jokic's skill set

Oct 6, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman talks with forward Cameron Johnson (23) against the Toronto Raptors in the second half at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images | Bob Frid-Imagn Images

Jokic is widely recognized as the best player in the NBA, finishing top two in MVP voting in each of the last five years, and his teammates are never afraid to admire his greatness.

Johnson, despite playing alongside Jokic for just a couple of weeks at this point, already has high praise for what he has seen from the future Hall of Fame big man. In a recent appearance on "The Young Man and The Three" podcast, Johnson talked about Jokic's elite skill set, along with his top-tier basketball IQ.

"The initial skill is just an incredible awareness, and then you pair it up with like actual pure basketball skills where, yes, he's reading the game way ahead of everybody else, but he also has the physical capability to act on it quickly," Johnson said. "And it may look slow to some people, but everything he does is like a very split-second decision."

Johnson dived deeper into exactly what Jokic does that helps him be the best player in the NBA.

"And he's always moving, like he is very active as a basketball player. He's here, he's there, he's cutting, he's diving, he's setting screens, he's popping, and so he just lets the game develop around him and he just knows the movement of his teammates and the defenders around him," Johnson continued. "So it's like that's his main skill right there in combination with the ball control. Like he just sticks his arm up to get a rebound, and the ball kind of just like glues to his hand."

Jokic's combination of basketball IQ, skill, and physicality is otherworldly, and Johnson, who is a very smart basketball player himself, is quick to recognize and acknowledge exactly what makes his new teammate so elite.

Cam Johnson admires Jokic's skill set

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