Nuggets Frontcourt Decimated as Cam Johnson Listed Doubtful
Underdog NBA reported Johnson is doubtful for Wednesday.
The are officially running out of forwards. Cam Johnson is listed as doubtful for Wednesday's game with right ankle inflammation, adding another name to a medical bill that is starting to look like a CVS receipt.
If you are keeping track at home, , Peyton Watson, and Spencer Jones are already ruled out. Losing Johnson means Denver is essentially holding open tryouts for anyone over 6-foot-7 who owns a pair of basketball shoes.
Denver was already forced to start and Jonas Valanciunas together in their last outing just to put a functional frontcourt on the floor. Playing two traditional centers in the modern NBA is the tactical equivalent of trying to parallel park a school bus in a compact space. It works for about two minutes before the alarms start going off.
This timing is objectively terrible. The Nuggets are staring down a matchup against a loaded Los Angeles Lakers squad featuring LeBron James and . Trying to defend that duo is hard enough when your roster is fully healthy, let alone when your defensive game plan relies on guys playing out of position.
For anyone looking at the betting markets, this injury report is a massive red flag for Denver's perimeter defense. With Johnson likely in street clothes, the Lakers' stars are going to see a lot less resistance on the wing, and Jokic's usage rate is going to have to touch the stratosphere just to keep the offense afloat.
Expect a final update on Johnson closer to tip-off, but doubtful rarely turns into a miracle recovery. Until Denver gets some of these bodies back, they are going to have to survive on pure Jokic magic and whatever spacing they can duct-tape together.