In the first few days of Denver Nuggets training camp, the new-look roster and its members have begun to get their feet wet in the action preluding this season to get comfortable with new teammates, new systems, and get the gears moving on te entire operation.
And for those newly-introduced to the Nuggets from this offseason, it's some of their first experiences of practicing alongside the talent of Nikola Jokic; a one-of-a-kind, extremely unique and dominant big man that, if you're not used to playing with him, it can be a lot to digest in the first few reps of doing so.
For new Nuggets wing Cam Johnson, he's been among those in the building trying to wrap his head around filling in next to Jokic's playstyle; how he reads the floor, the passes he makes, and how Denver's offense revolves around him entirely.
So far, there's been times where he's even caught Johnson off-guard.
"Playing these past couple of days and stuff, I'm starting to see how he processes the game. He fired a pass to me in the corner today, and it kind of caught me off guard a little bit," Johnson said after the Nuggets' second training camp practice. "It's like, this is what you have to get used to."
With only two days under his belt, Johnson's trying not to set any expectations. Instead, he's continuing to let the learning process work itself out.
"Jokic is the top of basketball today. I'm not going to overpredict," Johnson continued. "I'm going to let the work handle itself. Obviously, there's going to be bumps and stuff along the way that we're just trying to iron out. Right now, I'm just seeing a lot."
Cam Johnson is learning how to play with Nikola Jokic
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) October 2, 2025
"I'm starting to see how he processes the game."
SCARY HOURS pic.twitter.com/33xTvsDrMS
In reality, this is exactly what the time in training camp is meant to iron out: getting teammates on the same page with the talent around them, and establishing some consistency before the season that will only continue to get better as the year goes on.
Johnson, who, on paper, is a pretty malleable fit in multiple lineups considering the skillset he provides, still can benefit from that adjustment period in camp. That's exactly the process that's underway in Denver right now, and in due time, should have the results on full display in the regular season.
Johnson and Jokic will have a few more weeks of working in the building before the regular season action officially kicks off later this month, where then, we'll be able to see just how effective the tandem can be in a live-game setting.
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