The Nets are in a slump as a team.
But no player has slumped as much as Cam Johnson.
The sweet-shooting forward has averaged just 9.6 points over the past seven games, posting an uncharacteristic shooting split of .333/.267/.556, a team-worst minus-3.3.
As the best pure shooter on the Nets roster, those numbers are impressive.
“That's the way the game goes sometimes,” Johnson said recently about the win-loss nature of the league and shooting slumps. “We have to be able to weather the storm and continue to shoot the ball with confidence.”
Johnson played his usual way through the first 27 games.
He averaged 15 points and posted a plus-0.3 on .479/.425/.739 splits despite missing the FIBA World Cup with an injury.
But now, Johnson's field goal percentage and 3-point percentage are at their lowest since his second year in the NBA.
And his eye-watering .455 free throw shooting this month is actually the worst on the team behind big men Nic Claxton and Dayron Sharpe.
His defense also took a hit on Sunday night, when Kawhi Leonard's spin move sent him to the floor.
The Nets will need Johnson to break through as they return to play the rival Knicks on a homestand on Tuesday night.
The 22-0 loss allowed by the Nets capped the Clippers loss and tied for the largest end-of-game loss since play-by-play data was first tracked in 1997-98.
Minnesota ended a similar winning streak with a 107-101 win over Houston on March 26, 2021, but the Clippers actually went on to beat the Grizzlies 98-88 on November 29, 2009. I broke it.
Cam Thomas tied a career-high with six assists against the Clippers.
He has scored 14 points in the last three games.
Ben Simmons (back) and Sharpe (knee) are expected to be tested and evaluated now that the Nets are home.
Simmons was playing 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 and was on the road with the Nets.
Coach Jacques Vaughn wouldn't say exactly what Simmons is able to do or even what the next steps in his recovery might be.
“I'm not going to teach you step by step,” Vaughn said. “He's going to take the next step, which is to get tested again after this long five-hour flight when we get home and see how he responds to another week of basketball. right.”
The team announced on January 9 that Sharp would be reevaluated in about two weeks.
The Nets play the Knicks on Tuesday, so perhaps the backup center situation will become clearer by then.
“Yeah, if I could,” Vaughn said. “I miss Dayron. I said that to our group the other day. I miss hearing his voice on the bus, I miss hearing his voice in the locker room. I’m looking forward to meeting the big guy when I get home.”
