UNC Basketball: Cam Johnson’s latest big game not enough for Suns

Former UNC basketball sharpshooter Cam Johnson put together another outstanding performance for the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.

Cam Johnson has become one of the NBA’s premier three-point shooters in the span of just three seasons. Sure, he was a knockdown shooter during his five-year college basketball career — the final two of which were spent at the University of North Carolina — but nobody knew he’d turn out to be this good this fast, even when the Phoenix Suns surprised everyone and selected him 11th in the 2019 NBA Draft.

But Johnson is, in fact, that good, and he continues to prove it well into his third professional season, one that he’s proven to be one of the league’s most proficient long-range shooters and a candidate for Sixth Man of the Year.

His 42.8 percent mark from three-point range this season is among the best in the league, as he’s converting better than 2.5 made threes per game in just 5.8 attempts on average. It’s gotten to the point that the Suns can practically count on Johnson to hit multiple three-pointers every game, something he’s done in all but 13 games this season.

Sunday afternoon’s game against the Utah Jazz was just the latest example of that, as Johnson hit four three-pointers in six attempts (7-for-11 overall) en route to an outstanding 23-point performance that included four rebounds, five assists to zero turnovers and a perfect 5-of-5 mark at the free throw line.

But despite Johnson’s 23 points — as well as 23 from Deandre Ayton and 30 from Devin Booker — the Suns couldn’t close out their 50th victory against a surging Jazz squad that’s moved into first-place of the Northwest Division standings. Utah won by a final score of 118-114.

Regardless, Johnson has become an incredibly important cog in the machine that is the NBA-best 49-12 Suns. His contributions are even more valuable while All-Star point guard Chris Paul is sidelined for 6-8 weeks with a fractured right thumb.

Suffice to say, no one is laughing at the Suns’ decision to make Johnson a lottery pick three years ago, and a number of the league’s teams probably wish they’d given him a second look when they had a chance.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for more on Cam Johnson, as well as all the latest news, views and recruiting updates on the UNC basketball program.