If Cam Johnson wants to become a professor after his playing career, the Nuggets’ starting small forward is qualified to teach a 300-level course on the psychology of shooting.

Johnson has the academic credentials. He was the salutatorian of his high school class and went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from Pittsburgh in three years – with honors. Then, he transferred to North Carolina and enrolled in a master’s program in sports administration to pair with his life experience in the field.

“You want to balance being effective with being aggressive and self-regulating. There’s a lot of aspects,” Johnson said of his specialty. “I could go on and on and on about shooting and the psychology behind it. It’s something I really had to dig deep in to be a professional shooter.”

Not all shooters are wired the same. There are guys like Tim Hardaway Jr. who have made careers from shooting first and thinking later. Johnson’s brain works a little bit differently, but it works for him.

“I think anybody who is self-aware and self-critiquing has a challenge with that. Some people have zero cares, and that’s just their personality,” Johnson said. “Maybe that’s easier, but self-awareness and self-critiquing is also a strength where you’re able to evaluate what’s not in place.”

Things were a little out of place for most of Friday’s game against the Jazz. Johnson was 2 for 9 from deep after Jamal Murray found him in the left corner with a skip pass. The feed was on time and on target, but Johnson’s catch-and-shoot look was a touch strong.  That left Denver down five points with 3:30 to play.

“The only thing I ever complain about with Cam is when he turns down shots,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. “I think he has to understand playing with these two guys (Murray and Nikola Jokic) and with Aaron (Gordon) down there in the dunker that the best shot we’re going to get is you wide-open in the corner. He’s got to continue to let that thing go.”

There wasn’t anything for the Nuggets’ coach to complain about at the end of the game. Adelman is the latest in a long line of coaches who have encouraged the career 39.5% 3-point shooter to keep firing regardless of recent results.

“I’ve had coaches since youth where it doesn’t matter if I missed seven in the first half. They say, ‘Keep shooting, keep shooting.’ That’s really important to hear, because the last shot has no bearing on the next shot,” Johnson said. “In reality, it’s kind of all in your mind. You know what I mean?”

A minute after Johnson’s seventh and final miss of the night, Jokic found him in the right corner. There was no hesitation as Johnson rose up and knocked down a 3 that tied the game. It was still tied in the final minute when Tim Hardaway Jr. missed a corner 3, and Jokic tracked down the offensive rebound. Johnson relocated to the same space Hardaway vacated, and Jokic kicked it out. Another confident attempt was rewarded with a make that put Denver up for good in a win that kept Denver a game ahead of Minnesota in fourth place in the Western Conference standings.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re 45%, 50%, 100% coming into a game. The next shot is always going to be the next shot. It’s a completely separate event,” Johnson said. “That’s something that every shooter has to learn in their life, in their career. It’s an ongoing process, but the best are able to turn the page no matter what and just keep letting it fly.”

For the season, Johnson is shooting 42.6%, which would be a career-best, heading into Sunday’s game against Golden State. That’s too simplistic of a way of viewing things for Denver’s cerebral shooter.

“It doesn’t matter,” Johnson said.

“It’s on lower attempts. It’s a lot less tough attempts. In years past, I’ve had a lot more tough attempts in the flow of the offense. The way we operate here just calls for what it calls for, and I try to be as effective and efficient as possible. At the end of the day, it’s about winning the game, so that’s what I try to do – help the team win the game.  In my opinion, it should be higher. I feel like I get good looks when I take them.”