Rookie Johnson’s shot improving
Phoenix Suns rookie Cam Johnson has shot the ball with the same form from the time he started playing basketball as a kid.
He just changed the launch point. “The biggest difference is when I was younger, I used to shoot it a lot lower,” he said. “Kind of get it from (the hip) and push it up. Then it went to (the shoulder) and then it went up.”
Gilbert and Amy Johnson, both of whom played college basketball, were growing impatient at the pace at which their son’s shot was literally elevating.
“My parents would always tell me, ‘You got to raise your shot up, you got to raise your shot up,’ ” Johnson said. “And eventually they were like, ‘You know what, he’ll just raise it up when he gets stronger.’ ”
The now stronger and much taller Johnson has a shooting stroke that looks as good as anyone’s in the NBA, but he sees flaws in it the novice basketball eye can’t.
“You say it looks the same every time, but there’s little differences I feel shot to shot that I’ll check myself and be like, ‘You’re getting out of rhythm with this,’ ” Johnson said.
“‘You’re not doing this right.’ Whether it’s my feet positioning. My hand positioning. The release. My follow through. Even the way my fingers are on the ball, spread or kind of close together. There’s a lot of things I’ll check myself on shot to shot to try to make sure that it is consistent.”
Johnson was considered perhaps the best shooter in the 2019 draft class as he connected on 45.7% of his 3s his senior year at North Carolina.
Next level. Same accuracy. Johnson’s shooting 40.9% on 3s after going 3-of-5 in scoring a career-high 15 points in Sunday’s win over Brooklyn. He played a season-high 20 minutes as Monty Williams shortened up the rotation to give Johnson more action.
“Cam plays the way we want to play,”
Williams said. “He can shoot the ball, but he can do other things. He’s taking charges. He’s slashing to the basket. Dunking the ball. Spacing the floor the right way. He’s got length and guards multiple positions.”
Johnson was considered a reach to take 11th overall. He wasn’t even at the draft in New York like the rest of the potential lottery selections.
Suns fans hardly reacted to the pick at a draft party inside Talking Stick Resort Arena.
Months later, Johnson’s making an early impact with the same shot that started at the hip.
Practice facility
General Manager James Jones said Sept. 30 at media day the Suns would soon begin building their new practice facility.
Less than two months later, the Suns will host a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday on 44th Street and just north of Camelback Road.
Privately funded by the Suns, the facility will include two NBA/WNBA basketball courts as the Phoenix Mercury will also train there, private health and training amenities and new offices for coaches, players and trainers for both teams.
“We’re excited about that,” Jones said. “That’s going to be huge for us.”
Jones also said that day the building would be completed by the start of next season.
“That’s the hope, that’s the plan,” he said. “I believe it will be ready by the start of next year’s training camp.”
For the win
Let’s revisit Johnson.
Asked who his favorite guys were to watch shoot as a kid, he named a few.
Kyle Korver. Ray Allen. Kevin Martin. Klay Thompson. Stephen Curry.
“At Davidson, I remember watching him a lot in college when I was in seventh, eighth grade,” Johnson said about Curry.
Great shooters, but when put on the spot to pick which one he’d have take the final shot to win a game, Johnson chose the all-time leader in 3s made.
“I’m going to go with Ray Allen,” Johnson said. “I just have that feeling.”
“You saw that
Johnson said.
Game 6. Miami down 3-2 to San Antonio in the 2013 best-of-7 championship series.
shot
in
the
Finals,”
Chris Bosh retrieved a LeBron James miss and found Allen. BANG!
Allen nailed a corner 3 to tie the game with 5.2 seconds left in regulation. Miami won Game 6 in overtime to force a Game 7 in which it captured a third NBA title.
As epic as that moment was, don’t hold Johnson to that pick for the final shot.
“Tomorrow might be Steph, the next day might be Klay, next day might be Korver, but right now, I’m giving it to Ray,” he said.
Like Booker
Miami Heat rookie Tyler Herro let it be known he’s a fan of fellow University of Kentucky bro Devin Booker’s game. The feeling is mutual.
“He’s hard-working, he has that competitive mindset,” Booker said. “He has that dog in him every time he touches the court.”
Herro took Booker’s praises to heart. “It means a lot,” Herro said. “He’s one of my favorite players I look up to. For that to come out of his mouth, that’s big for me to continue to stay confident and keeping that dog mentality throughout the year.”
Booker said he had the same “dog” mentality as a rookie and knew Herro would bring it Thursday night.
He was right.
Herro scored 15 with two coming off a steal of Booker as the Heat won by 16.
In taking the same path as Booker to the NBA after a one-and-done season at UK, Herro heard stories about his guy from their college coach – John Calipari.
“The first game at Kentucky, I didn’t start and he was like, ‘Devin didn’t start at Kentucky, either,’ ” he said. “The very next game I started, but that was a time he had brought him up.”
Booker averaged 10 points off the bench in helping UK finish 38-1 in 201415.
“The other time was when I was struggling shooting the ball, he said Devin went through a point when he couldn’t make a shot for two weeks,” Herro said.