Cameron Johnson

Johnson made meaningful strides last season as a third-year pro, though he's already 26 years old. The Suns utilized Johnson in a sixth-man role, reaching career highs nearly across the board with 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 26.2 minutes per game. His 2.5 threes on 42.5 percent shooting from deep also represented career-best marks. He combined that with good efficiency from the field (46 percent) and the charity stripe (86.0 percent) to earn himself the league's 15th-best true shooting percentage (62.5 percent). The efficiency marks contributed to the North Carolina product ranking 126th in per-game fantasy production, making him a solid bench staple in standard formats. Johnson also advanced as a self-creator, notably when generating shots at the rim. As a sophomore, only 21 percent of his shots at the rim were unassisted. Last year, it increased to 39 percent - a meaningful bump. That said, there's only so much the Suns will ask Johnson to create for himself or others given how often Chris Paul and Devin Booker handle the ball. Johnson should continue to develop and improve and is slated for a starting role with Jae Crowder likely headed out of town. However, fantasy managers shouldn't expect a significant bump in usage. He's a decent option at the end of most standard fantasy leagues, especially if you're looking for three-pointers. However, his upside remains relatively low given the team around him.

In his second season, Johnson took small steps forward statistically, increasing his points per game from 8.8 to 9.6, threes from 1.9 to 2.0, and assists from 1.2 to 1.4. However, the growth was marginal -- not exactly what you'd hope for from an 11th pick, second-year player. A couple of bright spots emerged in the playoffs, however, where Johnson was consistently the first forward off the bench (enabled by Dario Saric's injury). Johnson increased his steals per game to 0.9 versus 0.6 in the regular season, and he hit the coveted 50-40-90 mark. No doubt, Johnson is an exciting player to watch, with his smooth three-point shooting ability and athletic moves around the basket. With Saric still injured, Johnson will be given plenty of opportunities in 2021-22 to show off his skills. But if he's going to emerge as more than a backup role player, he's going to need to consistently do more with the 24-27 minutes he gets.

Johnson had a solid rookie campaign, namely showing off the three-point shooting ability he was lauded for in college. In 22.0 minutes per game, he averaged 8.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.9 threes (39.0%) and 1.2 assists. He was fighting for time on the wing with Mikal Bridges, Kelly Oubre and Dario Saric, so Johnson's minutes weren't easy to come by. What kind of upside Johnson has in his second season will likely depend on whether all of those players are around to begin the campaign. He's flashed solid upside, averaging 13.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.5 threes and 2.2 assists when seeing 30-plus minutes as a rookie. Johnson will likely never be a volume scorer, but he has potential to be one of the better sources of three-pointers in the league, especially at forward. For the upcoming season, he could be a late-pick flier in standard fantasy leagues, but at this stage of his career, he's mostly still a dynasty target.

In a surprising move, the Suns selected Johnson -- a strong, versatile shooter -- with the 11th pick in the 2019 Draft. The North Carolina product and ACC All-First Team selection, who was thought of to be a mid-to-late first-round target, reportedly impressed teams in pre-draft workouts and will join a Suns franchise in desperate need of three-point shooting. Johnson, a 23-year-old fifth-year senior, averaged 16.9 points per game while shooting better than 45 percent from three for the Tar Heels last season. At 6-foot-9 with excellent shooting touch, Johnson may be able to play shooting guard, small forward and power forward at the NBA level. So although he's not expected to start for Phoenix, there's still a pathway to significant minutes. As a fantasy player, he should provide great value as a three-point shooter and overall efficient scorer, though it seems unlikely he'll contribute much elsewhere. Johnson does have rebounding and steal upside given his length, but he wasn't a big contributor during college in either of those categories.