Nuggets face terrifying reality check after Cameron Johnson's latest injury

The Denver Nuggets turned in an impressive defensive showcase in their season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but they simply could not get enough buckets on the offensive end, losing by double digits to the hosts. 

While getting beaten in the first game of their campaign is not anything they should worry about, that outing actually gave them something they should be very wary of.

Starting forward Cameron Johnson went down with an ankle injury and never returned. Denver is rightfully exercising a lot of caution given that it is just their first game, but given his track record of injuries, this could get anxiety-inducing for the Nuggets brass.

Cameron Johnson is already dealing with an injury after the first game, and the Nuggets have to be alarmed

Johnson has missed significant time as of late. This past year, he missed 28 games due to various injuries. Over the last four campaigns, he was out of commission for 146 total outings, which is nearly 41 percent of all outings during that span. 

That is pretty alarming for a player who is banked on to smooth out the offense for the Nuggets. Denver finished last season with the best offensive rating in the NBA, but duplicating that will be highly difficult if they are without their most stable floor spacer on the roster.

To make matters worse, there is no one in their lineup who can function as a direct replacement for what Johnson brings to the table. DeMar DeRozan, whom they brought in during the offseason, is now their sixth man and cannot be any more different than Johnson when it comes to skill set. Meanwhile, Christian Braun struggled in the season opener. 

The Nuggets better hope that this early injury does not persist. Johnson did not have his best year last season, but he is still pivotal to this team's scoring attack. Without him, Denver becomes easier to scheme against.