From defensive tenacity to filling an undersized role at center, the versatile forward’s Summer League dominance signals a potential leap from the G League to Brooklyn’s permanent roster.
Chaney Johnson has been a Swiss Army knife for the Brooklyn Nets in Summer League, playing multiple positions, hustling on defense and scoring on offense.
Johnson is averaging 15 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.8 steals across four Summer League games. He dropped 20 points, 10 rebounds and five steals in Brooklyn's 83-76 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
His versatility has earned praise from Nets' Summer League coach Dutch Gaitley. Whenever the team has needed Johnson to play another position on the court, he has gladly taken on the challenge for the sake of helping his team win.
“If we needed Chaney to play point guard, Chaney would play point guard," Gaitley said. "He does whatever is called for the team. He’s an outstanding teammate. He plays as hard as anybody on the court. I think he’s got a really bright future.”
Gaitley has even asked Johnson to play center, despite being 6-foot-7. Johnson is too undersized to play center, nor has he adopted a center’s skill set, so he is put in an uncomfortable situation.
Johnson said he hangs his hat on playing hard and controlling what he can control. Playing out of position is out of his control, but he will rise to the call when asked to.
“It’s whatever gets me paid, you know what I’m saying?" Johnson said. "I’ll do whatever it takes. So whatever the team needs, I’m there.”
The Nets extended a two-way qualifying offer to Johnson on June 27, and he signed it two days later. He appeared in 17 games last season and averaged 8.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He shot 54.3% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc.
Johnson played 24 games for the Long Island Nets -- Brooklyn's G League affiliate -- and averaged 14.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists, and showed some defensive prowess with 1.5 steals and one block. Long Island will receive his services once more next season, but it may not be for long.
His performances in Summer League are worthy of more than 17 games of action. Brooklyn could play Johnson in 50 NBA games before spending the rest of the season in the G League, or be upgraded to a standard contract.
Malachi Smith was upgraded to a standard contract after two 10-day contracts. He was cut after the Julius Randle four-team trade was made official, but it shows a pathway for Johnson to have a permanent spot on the team.
Brooklyn's two-way forward will likely appear in the next two matchups against the Sacramento Kings next Tuesday and the Houston Rockets next Thursday. His all-around versatility has been a bright spot for the Nets alongside Egor Dëmin and Mikel Brown Jr.
Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/roundtable-rtb/id6450423049) and stay even more connected!
