Former UNC Basketball Standout Heating Up for Nets

Cam Johnson is challenging Coby White as the most productive UNC basketball talent in the NBA.

Former UNC basketball forward Cam Johnson / David Richard-Imagn Images

UNC basketball pro Cam Johnson's Saturday night performance wasn't enough to power the Brooklyn Nets (4-6) to a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers (11-0). But the same can be said for all of the Cavs' opponents this season.

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Albeit in a 105-100 road loss, the 28-year-old forward posted another in a recent string of encouraging stat lines. Johnson finished with a game-high 23 points, shooting 8-for-13 from the field, 4-for-7 beyond the arc, and 3-for-3 at the foul line while adding five rebounds and one assist across his 31 minutes on the floor.

Plus, it's worth noting that Johnson, now in his third campaign with the Nets after beginning his NBA career with the Phoenix Suns, hasn't committed a single turnover in seven straight outings.

Ten games into the 2019 lottery pick's sixth season in the league, Johnson is averaging a career-high 17.4 points — second only to Chicago Bulls guard Coby White's 19.4 among active NBA Tar Heels — and a career-low 0.3 turnovers per contest.

As for Brooklyn's other UNC basketball product, backup big man Day'Ron Sharpe has yet to suit up this season. The 23-year-old, a 2020-21 one-and-done in Chapel Hill, is still recovering from a hamstring injury he sustained in training camp.

Cam Johnson and the Brooklyn Nets look to snap their two-game losing skid when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans at 8 p.m. ET Monday.

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