Cam Johnson sidelined to start Nets training camp
Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson against the Houston Rockets at Barclays Center on March 29, 2023. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Just before Nets media day began on Monday, the team announced that Cam Johnson will miss the start of training camp because of a mild left hamstring injury.
Johnson suffered the injury during an on-court workout last week, the Nets said, and added that they will provide additional updates at an appropriate time.
Johnson, who signed a four-year, $108 million contract in July, isn’t too bothered by the setback.
“I’m good. I do expect to play at some point in the preseason,” he said. “Just not in these next couple days. We’ll see how it goes over this next week.”
The Nets will play their first preseason game against the Lakers next Monday in Las Vegas.
The fifth-year forward also played with Team USA this summer in the FIBA World Cup. Coach Jacque Vaughn said last week that the Nets would have no issues managing Johnson’s and Mikal Bridges’ health with camp starting a month after the end of the tournament.
Last season with the Suns, Johnson missed two months with a torn meniscus in his right knee. He played in 42 games (17 with Phoenix) but missed only two games after he was traded to the Nets in February, including being held out of the regular-season finale.
Johnson’s absence might be an early blow for a Nets team looking to establish chemistry with a roster that was reworked after last season’s trade deadline. Vaughn described Johnson as a perfect fit for how the Nets can come together after a season of roster shake-up.
“He fits into that bucket of guys I really want to coach, people who you enjoy being around,” Vaughn said. “[He] has room to grow, he’s willing to be coached and coached hard. So those are the things that I love about him.”
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
