Cam Johnson's Improvement Critical for Suns Success Next Season

Phoenix Suns forward Cameron Johnson is up for a nice increase in pay this offseason, and it's well deserved to this point.

Through his three years in the league, Johnson has slowly morphed himself into a strong sixth man for the Suns. This season may see him get valuable minutes as a starter moving forward.

Cameron Johnson averaged 16.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists as a starter last season on 49/42/91 shooting splits.

Here’s highlights of his 38 point career high + game winner in a game without Booker or Paul. pic.twitter.com/O29YkbSp9m
— Mike Vigil (@protectedpick) August 18, 2022

The Suns have already displayed how dominant they could be on the court with stars such as Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges.

While the aforementioned players will surely be working to improve their game and push Phoenix back to the NBA Finals, Johnson's development is key to the Suns' success next season according to Bleacher Report.

Area of Improvement: Operating off the dribble

"Even though the Suns had a sour ending last season, this team still has a lot of talent after bringing back DeAndre Ayton. Phoenix is not spoken about as much but they are still contenders in the Western Conference, especially if Cam Johnson can make a Mikal Bridges-like leap this season," said author Mo Dakhil.

"Johnson was an important piece for Phoenix, a rangy small/power forward with three-point range. He connected on 42.5 percent of his threes last season and nearly six attempts a game. Johnson is also a strong defender, with the Suns posting a defensive rating of 104.6 when he was on the floor.

"What Johnson needs to add is more dribble attacks to his game to take the next step forward. Defenses play him as a shooter but Johnson needs to attack these closeouts off the bounce to open up more opportunities.

"The Suns were starting Jae Crowder at the power forward spot but if Johnson can make this improvement to his game, he should supplant the older Crowder out of the starting lineup and give the Suns a stronger team to start games with."

Should Johnson turn himself into a creative scorer rather than just a shooter, that should open up plenty more opportunities for not only himself, but his teammates as well.

Still just 26-years-old, plenty of potential still resides within his abilities. Johnson's talent won't make or break Phoenix's run to a title, but a lift in play will undoubtedly help.

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