Averaged 7 points per game! Cameron Johnson Porter trade, the Nuggets lost?

Back in the offseason this year, the Nuggets and the Nets reached a deal. The specific contents of the deal are:

-The Nuggets sent Porter Jr. + 2032 first round

-The Nets sent Cameron Johnson

If you still remember, after the deal was completed, many people thought that the Nuggets made a great deal. Easy, the reasons are not difficult to understand:

1. Before the trade, Porter Jr. was in a serious slump in the playoffs, averaging only 9.1 points per game and shooting 34.3% from three-point range (affected by a shoulder injury). The Nuggets also lost to the Thunder in the second round tiebreaker;

2. Cameron Johnson averaged 18.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.8 three-pointers, and three points per game in his last year with the Nets. The shooting percentage is 39%

3. Cameron Johnson has two years left on his contract, worth 20.54 million this season and 22.5 million next season, while Porter Jr.'s remaining two years on the contract are 38.33 million and 40.81 million respectively (only 12 million guaranteed)

4. Porter Jr. may have better rim protection, but Cameron Johnson has better matchup ability. (Although not very good), and he can pass the ball, and there is no serious injury risk like Porter Jr.

5. The Nets once sought multiple first-round picks in the Cameron Johnson trade. In the end, the Nuggets only spent one first-round pick, and they also allowed the Nets to take Porter Jr.'s big contract.

The idea is always beautiful, but the reality is very cruel.

Looking at Cameron Johnson first, I thought he would be able to seize the opportunity to shine next to Jokic. However, so far this season, his performance has been disappointing.

Cameron Johnson has played in 11 of the 12 games currently played by the Nuggets, starting every game. He averaged 24.5 minutes per game and could only get 7.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists. All statistics have dropped significantly compared to last season.

His shooting has declined particularly severely, with a field goal percentage of 37.2%, a three-point shooting percentage of 21.1% (a total of 8 of 38), and a true shooting percentage of only 46.9% (63.2% last season).

Pay attention to these two statistics. Cameron Johnson this season:

1. His three-point shooting percentage after receiving the ball is only 17.6%, compared with 40.3% last season.

2. He made 4 of 26 wide-open three-pointers, and his shooting percentage was only 15.4%. Last season, It is 42.2%

Cameron Johnson is also a famous shooter, with a career three-point shooting percentage of more than 39%. However, next to Jokic, even wide-open three-pointers suddenly shoot like this. This can only be explained by his poor personal condition.

Due to the serious decline in touch, Cameron Johnson has also become a rare Nuggets player who starts with Jokic and still has a negative on/off value (0.1 points more when he is not on the court than when he is on the court), and his current offensive BPM is as low as -4.2, far less than last season's +3.5.

Looking at Porter Jr., although he played for the Nets in the bad period, and although his efficiency was not as good as that of the Nuggets, he at least looked like he was scoring points on a weak team: 11 games, 3 games with 30 points or more, averaging 32.4 minutes per game, 23.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.1 three-pointers, shooting 46% from the field and 34.7% from the three-point range.

Although Porter Jr. strained his hips in the playoffs last year (a shoulder injury had a great impact), his performance in the regular season is still very worthy of recognition. He averaged 18.2 points per game and shot 39.5% from three-point range. In any case, he is the most suitable and possibly the most accurate shooter that Jokic has ever played with. In this regard, it is still difficult for Cameron Johnson to catch up in the short term.

Back to the Nuggets, the Nuggets have made a lot of moves this summer. Cameron Johnson, who was originally the most promising, did not perform at his level. On the contrary, Hardaway Jr., who was signed with a minimum salary and was not so optimistic, played the best.

In the 12 games that Hardaway Jr. has played, he has averaged 12.0 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 2.8 three-pointers per game, with a shooting percentage of 48%, a three-point shooting percentage of 49.3%, and a true shooting percentage of 68.0%.

When Hardaway Jr. is on the court, the Nuggets can score 126.4 points per 100 possessions, with a margin of 18.7 points over their opponents. On the contrary, the Nuggets can only score 115.7 points per 100 possessions, with a margin of 6.9 points. This is the level a shooter should have when playing with Jokic.

As for Cameron Johnson, how can I put it, this state is definitely abnormal, especially when he shoots wide-open three-pointers like this. Fortunately, the Nuggets have Jokic as the backstop, so their record will not be affected. From another perspective, with Cameron Johnson like this, the Nuggets can actually still have 10 wins and 2 losses, ranking second in the league in net efficiency. When his hand picks up, the Nuggets' offensive efficiency will be even more ferocious.

Moreover, it has only been more than 10 games now, and the biggest test for Cameron Johnson is still at the end of the season and the playoffs. Before that, Cameron Johnson still has a lot of time to find his touch. I hope this period will not be too long - if he can play at the level of Porter in the 2023 or 2024 playoffs, then it will be worthwhile to cheat now.