The 2026-27 regular season is still in its infancy and while there's still a lot to be learned from the early games of the season, it's also important for every team to keep a level head and focus on the work that's in front of them.

That's exactly the mentality that Denver Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson is keeping after the Nuggets' first five games of the season, which has left them with a 3-2 record and put them near the bottom of the Western Conference. 

But while there's been good and bad in equal measure from the Nuggets after this early stretch, Johnson is simply looking ahead to what Denver needs to keep doing so they can improve and stay competitive. 

When Johnson was asked what he's learned about the team thus far in the regular season and what he believes the team's goals should be, his answer was true to the spirt of that mentality.

"Keep trending in the right direction. Five games is not a big sample size. There's a lot more to be played and there's a lot more for us to get better at," Johnson said (via Nuggets). "[There's] no need to panic or to think that things are going better than they are. For us, it's about keeping our heads down and executing how we need to execute."

The Nuggets have a wealth of talent at their core and have improved their bench depth, but there simply needs to be more time with this team together and executing on the floor before a solid conclusion can be made about what Denver is capable of.

The NBA season is 82 games for a reason. There's so much that can define what a team is and what their ceiling will be that may not even be revealed until the final stretch of the campaign.

Denver's potential is high, but that potential needs time to come to light. The Nuggets will continue to be tested against a variety of opponents and the many facets or deficits of their game will continue to reveal themselves over the course of the rest of the season.

The momentum of a season can shift in a single day in basketball, whether that be from injuries or any kind of hot or cold streak, and the Nuggets simply need to ride the wave before they know exactly what the team is made of.

With all of that in mind, Johnson's wishes for the team are sound. They, like the rest of the league, need to keep pushing, keep working and keep playing together before they'll know exactly who they are and if they're capable of reaching the same heights of the league that they have in the past.

Until that day comes, the Nuggets, as Johnson said, need to keep their head down and stay committed to the work and the execution of their skills.