If Cam Johnson wants to become a professor after his playing career, the Nuggets\u2019 starting small forward is qualified to teach a 300-level course on the psychology of shooting.<\/p>\n
Johnson has the academic credentials. He was the salutatorian of his high school class and went on to earn his bachelor\u2019s degree from Pittsburgh in three years \u2013 with honors. Then, he transferred to North Carolina and enrolled in a master\u2019s program in sports administration to pair with his life experience in the field.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to balance being effective with being aggressive and self-regulating. There\u2019s a lot of aspects,\u201d Johnson said of his specialty. \u201cI could go on and on and on about shooting and the psychology behind it. It\u2019s something I really had to dig deep in to be a professional shooter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not all shooters are wired the same. There are guys like Tim Hardaway Jr. who have made careers from shooting first and thinking later. Johnson\u2019s brain works a little bit differently, but it works for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think anybody who is self-aware and self-critiquing has a challenge with that. Some people have zero cares, and that\u2019s just their personality,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cMaybe that\u2019s easier, but self-awareness and self-critiquing is also a strength where you\u2019re able to evaluate what\u2019s not in place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Things were a little out of place for most of Friday\u2019s game against the Jazz. Johnson was 2 for 9 from deep after Jamal Murray found him in the left corner with a skip pass. The feed was on time and on target, but Johnson\u2019s catch-and-shoot look was a touch strong.\u00a0 That left Denver down five points with 3:30 to play.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only thing I ever complain about with Cam is when he turns down shots,\u201d Nuggets coach David Adelman said. \u201cI think he has to understand playing with these two guys (Murray and Nikola Jokic) and with Aaron (Gordon) down there in the dunker that the best shot we\u2019re going to get is you wide-open in the corner. He\u2019s got to continue to let that thing go.\u201d<\/p>\n
There wasn\u2019t anything for the Nuggets\u2019 coach to complain about at the end of the game. Adelman is the latest in a long line of coaches who have encouraged the career 39.5% 3-point shooter to keep firing regardless of recent results.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had coaches since youth where it doesn\u2019t matter if I missed seven in the first half. They say, \u2018Keep shooting, keep shooting.\u2019 That\u2019s really important to hear, because the last shot has no bearing on the next shot,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cIn reality, it\u2019s kind of all in your mind. You know what I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
A minute after Johnson\u2019s seventh and final miss of the night, Jokic found him in the right corner. There was no hesitation as Johnson rose up and knocked down a 3 that tied the game. It was still tied in the final minute when Tim Hardaway Jr. missed a corner 3, and Jokic tracked down the offensive rebound. Johnson relocated to the same space Hardaway vacated, and Jokic kicked it out. Another confident attempt was rewarded with a make that put Denver up for good in a win that kept Denver a game ahead of Minnesota in fourth place in the Western Conference standings.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re 45%, 50%, 100% coming into a game. The next shot is always going to be the next shot. It\u2019s a completely separate event,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cThat\u2019s something that every shooter has to learn in their life, in their career. It\u2019s an ongoing process, but the best are able to turn the page no matter what and just keep letting it fly.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the season, Johnson is shooting 42.6%, which would be a career-best, heading into Sunday\u2019s game against Golden State. That\u2019s too simplistic of a way of viewing things for Denver\u2019s cerebral shooter.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s on lower attempts. It\u2019s a lot less tough attempts. In years past, I\u2019ve had a lot more tough attempts in the flow of the offense. The way we operate here just calls for what it calls for, and I try to be as effective and efficient as possible. At the end of the day, it\u2019s about winning the game, so that\u2019s what I try to do \u2013 help the team win the game. \u00a0In my opinion, it should be higher. I feel like I get good looks when I take them.\u201d<\/p>\n
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