UNC Basketball: Former Tar Heel Cam Johnson has career night for Suns

Former UNC basketball sharpshooter Cameron Johnson had a career night against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.

Second-year Phoenix Suns small forward Cameron Johnson has gotten off to a hot start this season, scoring double-digit points in two of his first three games and shooting the ball as well as anyone in the league.

He had his best game of the young season on Sunday night when he poured in a career-high 21 points on an outstanding 7-for-9 shooting performance that included 3-of-4 from three-point range and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Not only that, but Johnson added a rebound, an assist and a steal, while not turning the ball over even once in 21 minutes off the Suns’ bench.

https://twitter.com/Suns/status/1343402077133762560

And speaking of coming off the bench, Johnson’s time as a Phoenix reserve could be coming to an end soon. He’s averaging 14.7 points per game on 53.6 percent shooting from the floor and 40 percent from beyond the arc. He’s also averaging 2.7 rebounds, one assist and one steal, and hasn’t committed a single turnover in 72 minutes of play.

Johnson’s promotion to the starting lineup could depend on how well current starter Jae Crowder performs in the coming games. There’s no doubt that Johnson is outperforming Crowder through the team’s first three games, but we’ll have to see how things progress as the sample size continues to grow.

Johnson and the Suns will take the court again on Tuesday night when they face off with the New Orleans Pelicans in a showdown of two of the Western Conference’s best up-and-coming young teams.

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