Cam Johnson Pinned as Biggest Reason for Hope on Suns Roster
The Phoenix Suns' roster hasn't changed very much in recent years.
Chris Paul has dominated the point guard position since his arrival. Devin Booker has solidified himself as one of the best shooting guards in the league. Mikal Bridges is as good as they come defensively, and Deandre Ayton is still progressing to be the dominant big man everyone knows he can be.
In prior years, Jae Crowder has occupied the power forward spot, bringing a veteran savvy to the floor in Phoenix.
However that relationship grew sour over the summer, pushing Crowder out of the limelight while welcoming Cam Johnson.
Johnson, a first-round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, has slowly tuned his game to become an important contributor off the bench.
Phoenix believes the time is now for Johnson to emerge as a starter, and Bleacher Report believes he's the biggest reason of hope for Phoenix this season:
Cam Johnson Pinned as Biggest Reason for Hope on Suns Roster
"The Suns are the most depressing team we've seen in recent history that could still win 60 games," said Greg Swartz.
"Part of the bad vibes surrounding the franchise is the Jae Crowder situation, as the veteran is currently away from the team as Phoenix seeks a trade partner.
"This negative could quickly turn into a positive, however, as inserting Cam Johnson into the starting lineup gives the Suns an even higher ceiling.
"While the four-man combo of Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges and Deandre Ayton had a good net rating of plus-8.1 with Crowder as the fifth starter last season, this number skyrocketed to plus-30.7 with Johnson on the floor instead. Although the new projected starting five spent just 95 total possessions together, this was a terrific sign of things to come.
"Having an elite shooter like Johnson to space the floor and give Paul and Booker an option to kick out to can take this offense to the next level."
Johnson is currently in contract negotiations with the organization as he heads into the final year of his rookie deal.
Phoenix went 9-7 in games Johnson started last season, as he averaged 16.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in those starts while shooting 49.2% from the floor, including 42% from three-point land.
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