Cam Johnson Primer

Cam Johnson used a 24-minute playoff primer released April 17 to frame the 2026 postseason around matchup details, not just star names. (wondery.com) The episode of *The Old Man and the Three* billed Johnson, now with the Denver Nuggets, as breaking down the play-in tournament, past playoff lessons, and Denver’s first-round series with the Minnesota Timberwolves. (wondery.com) By Sunday, April 19, the series he discussed had already started: Denver beat Minnesota 116-105 in Game 1 on April 18, and the league scheduled Game 2 for Monday, April 20. (nba.com, nba.com) Johnson’s framing matches the way players and coaches usually talk about a series before it settles: who controls the paint, which defenders set the tone, and whether second units can survive the non-star minutes. The episode description says he centered the conversation on what he was “excited for” in Nuggets-Timberwolves after reflecting on prior series. (wondery.com) That kind of breakdown lands at a moment when the bracket is still fresh. The NBA’s 2026 playoffs began April 18, with the play-in still shaping the final field as late as April 17, when Orlando locked up the East’s No. 8 seed and Phoenix claimed the West’s No. 8 seed. (nba.com) Johnson brings a player’s résumé to that format. Basketball-Reference lists him as a 30-year-old Denver forward with 54 career playoff games and a 2025-26 playoff line of 12.2 points per game on 48.0% shooting and 43.0% from 3. (basketball-reference.com) The podcast itself is also part of a longer media shift inside the league. *The Old Man and the Three*, co-founded by former National Basketball Association guard JJ Redick and Tommy Alter, has built a regular lane for active players to preview matchups in the language teams actually use. (wondery.com) So the value of Johnson’s primer is less prediction than calibration. Before a seven-game series turns on one bad quarter or one bench run, he laid out the levers players watch first. (wondery.com)