PHOENIX — It’s another homecoming for Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson, albeit a much different one than the first.

Johnson’s return to Phoenix last December for the first time since the Suns traded him last February was a bizarre basketball game. It felt like the reason most fans were there was to invite him and Mikal Bridges, wish them the best in the future and thank them for their contributions.

Johnson is back again on Wednesday, this time without Bridges, who was traded to the New York Knicks last summer, and this time without the great emotion associated with that day.

Johnson confirmed that moving past the expectations and feelings associated with that day helps this restart.

“Yes, right. Back to business,” he said.

Business is booming.

Johnson is averaging a career-high 18.3 points and 2.9 assists per game while keeping his turnovers at a career-low with Brooklyn (0.7). His 49.8% field goal percentage, 43.1% 3-point percentage (on a career-high 7.6 attempts per night) and 90.6% free throw percentage combine for a true shooting percentage of 66.8%.

Of the 129 players taking at least 10 shots per game this season, that 66.8 TS% ranks fourth, according to Stathead.

His first full season with the Nets last year was uneven, and that can be directly attributed to injuries. Johnson had played 58 games and had nine different gaps that he would miss the time. Whether it was one match or a handful, that matters to a player like him. During his time in Phoenix, Johnson thrived the more he was able to play and the more he was able to stay on the field.

The most infamous example of this was when he was injured prior to the Suns’ run to the NBA Finals in 2021. And when Johnson had his playoff high of 14 points in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, he was out for the series- getting the win due to food poisoning, and unsurprisingly this, plus the lengthy break up until the final, saw him put in an uneven performance against the Milwaukee Bucks.

He is doing his best impression of his twin brother and has not missed a game yet this season.

“It’s rhythm, man. It’s rhythm,” Johnson said of being able to stay healthy. “If you can just settle down and get into a rhythm, it always helps.”

Johnson is available for Wednesday’s game against the Suns after being questionable due to an ankle injury. You can imagine that he doesn’t want to miss a moment right now.

Especially in a place where he feels quite comfortable.

“It’s cool. Honestly, I’m just happy to get another chance to play basketball tonight,” Johnson said of his return to Phoenix. “But it’s nice to be able to sleep in your own bed, see the dog and things like that. Definitely fun.”

“I really love this arena, the energy that these fans bring,” he added. “I’ve had some pretty cool moments here over the years. So being back here, that familiarity.”

Johnson said it was “actually a bit weird” to be at his house and that it “didn’t feel real.”

The Nets aren’t quite the Eastern Conference pushovers some expected them to be. With an 8-10 record, Jordi Fernandez’s team has a top-10 offense and is ranked ninth in Cleaning the Glass’ database. Brooklyn is third in three-point scoring and fifth in efficiency, a good formula for collecting points.

Surprisingly, this is happening with a slower offense, one that has the sixth-highest percentage of halfcourt plays this season.

Outside of Johnson, 23-year-old Cam Thomas is starting to establish himself as one of the top young scorers, while 31-year-old Dennis Schroder is having a banner year on an expiring contract that will certainly generate trade interest as we get closer. go to February.

“We’ve kind of united this group and I think we’re pretty sloppy,” Johnson said. “And we compete. No matter what the conditions are, whoever is on the field, whoever is available, we are going to go out and compete.”

Thomas is off on Wednesday. In the only game he missed earlier this season, a Nets win, Johnson scored a season-high 34 points.

Contenders certainly reached out to Brooklyn as soon as Bridges left to keep an eye on Johnson’s availability. He would get more than twenty minutes with each of the top teams in the league, and more than thirty minutes for a few. Every team wants a smart, 6-foot-4 elite shooter who can go all out. Perhaps the trade deadline will revive his market, although the new restrictions on the NBA’s first and second platforms have made it much more difficult to get deals done.

Whatever situation Johnson finds himself in later this season and beyond, you know he’ll be aware of the progress he’s made and the steps he’s taken since leaving Phoenix.

“I think it’s important to play in this league. Basketball in general means keeping that perspective,” Johnson said.

Follow @KellanOlson