Johnson knows the Nuggets' defense is the key to a run.
The Denver Nuggets needed overtime to put away the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night, surviving a 25-three barrage to escape with a 137-132 win at Ball Arena.
It was another game where the offense eventually showed up, but the defense spent long stretches looking lost.
After the win, Cam Johnson spoke about what it takes to defend at this level and why individual effort matters more than anything.
"A lot of it is understanding what guys want to do… understanding personnel is a huge part of defending at the NBA level… learning to live with trying to force them to shoot the shots they like a little bit less than others," Johnson said. "And then there's other parts of it that is pure effort and intensity too… when we give the effort we give individually on one-on-one defense, we're a lot better [as a team]."
Johnson Finding His Groove at the Right Time
Johnson finished Monday's game with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, along with six rebounds and seven assists in 37 minutes, and it was exactly the kind of well-rounded performance Denver needs heading into the playoffs.
His first season with the Nuggets has been bumpy after he missed 23 games with a right knee bone bruise, then dealt with ankle and back issues after returning in February.
But over his last 10 games, Johnson has averaged 14.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 52.1 percent from the field, which is a much better version of the player Brooklyn sent to Denver last summer.
The Nuggets sit at 51-28 and third in the Western Conference, and Nikola Jokic carried them again Monday with a 35-point, 13-rebound, 13-assist triple-double.
But as good as the offense has been all year, the defensive side of the ball remains a real concern.
Defense Could Be Denver's Downfall
Denver currently ranks 21st in the NBA in defensive rating, and that number stands in stark contrast to their league-best offensive rating.
The Nuggets have leaned on their firepower to outscore problems all season, but that approach gets a lot harder in the postseason when games slow down and half-court execution on both ends becomes everything.
Monday's game was a perfect example.
Portland, the 29th-ranked three-point shooting team in the league, built a 16-point fourth-quarter lead because the Nuggets were not rotating or closing out with urgency.
Johnson's comments about effort and intensity were pointed, not just general basketball talk.
If Denver is going to make a deep playoff run, they need the version of Johnson who showed up Monday and the defensive mindset he described after the game.
They have the talent to compete with anyone in the West when healthy, but unless they find consistent defensive effort, their season could end earlier than the roster suggests it should.