In the middle of the Denver Nuggets‘ fourth-quarter action against the Dallas Mavericks, starting forward Cam Johnson went down with what the team labeled as a right knee sprain and wound up not returning to the game.
In the moment, the injury looked pretty alarming, and until the Nuggets get results from an MRI scan on Johnson’s knee, his status and any timeline for a potential return, remains up in the air.
However, after the game against Dallas, Nuggets head coach David Adelman added a bit more intel from his perspective on Johnson’s injury, crediting it as both concerning and deflating.
“It’s concerning,” Adelman said. “I haven’t heard yet. He was sitting in his locker. We’ll find out. Imaging has to happen before anything else. It was not a fun sight to see, especially a guy that’s been trending so well, playing so well the last month.”
“(He) has really found his way with our group. We’ve had a lot of these moments this year. It’s deflating, but hopefully the news is better than it looked, because we know what Cam means to our team.”
Cam Johnson’s Injury Severity Remains Unclear
In the 27 games Johnson has played for the Nuggets this season, he’s averaged 11.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting 46.2% from the field and 42.3% from three; emerging as a quality connecting piece on both ends of the floor.
With the looks of the injury, Johnson’s bound to miss at least a few games on the calendar, which comes at an inopportune time for the Nuggets when factoring in their latest injury woes, especially in the starting lineup.
Dec 7, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson (23) complains to crew chief Gediminas Petraitis (50) during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images | Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images
The Nuggets have already been tasked to patch the holes left in the lineup from an injured Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon, who have been sidelined for the past several weeks with their respective injuries. Now, they could be without yet another one of their starting wings and impact two-way players for a couple of weeks, or even more.
Without Johnson, that effectively puts a bigger load on Denver’s wing depth like Peyton Watson, Spencer Jones, and Tim Hardaway Jr. to see a bit more opportunity, and of course, might require a bit more out of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic to help carry a bit more of the weight offensively than they already do.
For now, it won’t be much of a clear picture for what to expect for Johnson’s status until he gets that MRI, but nonetheless, it’s another major blow to a team that’s already been through the wringer with the injury bug.
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