The Phoenix Suns announced Tuesday that forward Cameron Johnson had surgery to partially remove a torn meniscus in his right knee.
Johnson injured his knee on Friday in a 108-106 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers after landing awkwardly.
Initially, speculation around the nature of the injury suggested the fourth-year forward might be out long-term, however, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on Tuesday that he should be able to return to action in one-to-two months.
Johnson elected to undergo a meniscectomy, a shaving of the meniscus tear, which will allow him to drastically shorten his recovery time.
It was also reported by Windhorst that Johnson underwent a similar procedure in 2017 during his time in college at North Carolina though it was on the other knee. In that instance, he ended up missing only five weeks.
Johnson is in his contract year with Phoenix and was recently elevated to a starting spot in the lineup.
So far this year he has averaged a career-high 13 points, along with 3.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists. He’s also been a stable contributor as a perimeter defender for what has been the NBA’s third-ranked defence, according to Basketball Reference.
Last year he was their first option off the bench, playing 26.2 minutes, and was the best three-point shooter for the Suns, scoring on 42.5 per cent of his looks from deep.
Past Johnson, the Suns don’t have much depth in their forward positions with former starter Jae Crowder electing to not play for the team.
In Monday’s 100-88 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, they started Torrey Craig whom they acquired at the trade deadline last season. In 22 minutes he scored three points, shooting one-for-six from the field.
Past Craig, they’ll likely have to rely on Dario Saric who just returned from injury or they’ll use a two-big lineup featuring two of Deandre Ayton, Bismack Biyombo, or breakout player Jock Landale.
The Suns are currently second in the Western Conference with a strong 7-3 record and will be awaiting the return of their starting power forward.