Nets' Cam Johnson reveals Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown inspiration for Mikal Bridges duo
09/29/2023 04:22 PM
Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, dubbed “The Twins” by their Phoenix Suns teammates after joining the team, quickly became fan favorites in Phoenix due to their hard-nosed defense, unselfishness and three-point shooting. After a midseason trade sent the duo to the Brooklyn Nets, Johnson and Bridges turned heads across the league while stepping into expanded roles.
The pair’s quick adjustment after years as complementary pieces alongside Devin Booker and Chris Paul was a pleasant surprise for Brooklyn fans. However, Johnson and Bridges had no doubts about their abilities. The former said they had been preparing for the moment throughout their time in Phoenix, even drawing inspiration from one of the league’s top young wing duos.
“Mikal and I talked about how we didn’t have any qualms about our roles in Phoenix because we love to win and our team was winning, but we were like, ‘We really got more stuff.’ So we worked on it every day,” Johnson said Tuesday on The Old Man and the Three Podcast with JJ Redick. “We were like, ‘(Jayson) Tatum and (Jaylen) Brown, that's an elite wing duo. We're gonna keep working. We're maybe like a low-usage version, a 3-and-D version (of them).’ We always would joke around about that.”
Cam Johnson says he and Mikal Bridges joked about growing into a "low-usage version" of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in Phoenix:
"We didn't have any qualms about our role in Phoenix because we love to win and our team was winning, but we're like, 'We really got more stuff.'……
— Erik Slater (@erikslater) September 29, 2023
Bridges emerged as one of the NBA’s rising stars following his trade to Brooklyn. In 30 games, he averaged 27.7 points on 47/38/89 shooting splits. The 27-year-old scored 30 or more 12 times during that span after reaching the total just twice in four-and-a-half years with Phoenix.
Mikal Bridges went OFF in the Nets W.
45 points
8 rebounds
5 assists
4 threes— NBA (@NBA) February 16, 2023
After a slow start, Johnson began to catch his stride heading into the playoffs. Over the last 10 games of the season, he averaged 16.5 points on 53/45/96 shooting splits. He then emerged as Brooklyn’s most consistent performer during a first-round sweep against Philadelphia, averaging 18.5 points on 50.9 percent shooting from the field and 42.9 percent from three (7.0 attempts per game). That included a 22-point first half on the road in Game 2.
HAVE A HALF, CAM JOHNSON.
22 points (Playoff career-high)
4 threes
9/13 FG: TNT | Game 2 | PHI Leads 1-0#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel
— NBA (@NBA) April 18, 2023
Bridges consistently said he got “traded at the perfect time” amid his breakout with the Nets. Johnson called the adjustment to a higher-usage role in Brooklyn a “natural” transition.
"It's an amazing opportunity to continue to climb the ladder of the NBA,” he said of joining the Nets. “The opportunity to go to a team and then continue to take those steps, very natural steps in our career, it's not like a forced step, is amazing. How often does that happen? Where you have the ability to play on such a great team, learn, and then get transferred to another high-level organization where you're just able to continue growing your game.
“Mikal is a huge example of that. That's what I point to, and everybody asks, 'Oh, he just completely changed; where did that come from?' I'm like, 'No, he's worked on this stuff for five years, he's had opportunities with all these injuries to continue to implement it into his game, and then boom, completely ready to take advantage of the opportunity in Brooklyn.'"
Cam Johnson on him and Mikal Bridges stepping into bigger roles in Brooklyn:
"The opportunity to go to a team and then continue to take those steps, very natural steps in our careers, it's not like a forced step, is amazing."
"Mikal is a huge example of that… Everybody asks,…
— Erik Slater (@erikslater) September 29, 2023
Johnson’s usage could be significantly higher in 2023-24 with the Nets searching for three-level scoring. And after averaging just 2.7 assists per game with Brooklyn last season, Bridges will need to make significant strides as a playmaker if the Nets hope to improve an offense that ranked 23rd after trading Durant and Irving.
The newest Nets duo will headline the roster alongside Ben Simmons, Spencer Dinwiddie and Nic Claxton as Brooklyn attempts to qualify for the playoffs for the sixth straight season.
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