Phoenix Suns word game: The four-game winning streak is (fill in the blank)

Cam Johnson at the 4 has been ______

AUSPICIOUS

Cam Johnson is on the court because he is excelling at shooting the 3. That’s what he was drafted as high as he was, and what has led to a very solid rookie season. So, you know his move to the 4-spot in the starting lineup has been favorable if we can say he is playing well while only shooting 32 percent from behind the arc.

I don’t think Monty Williams or anyone else is worried about Cam’s shot. That will come back. What has been encouraging to see is that Johnson’s rebounding has exploded since moving to the power forward role in the starting lineup.

He has averaged 8.5 rebounds per game in the bubble, good for second-most on the team, compared to just 2.9 rebounds per game pre-hiatus, which ranked him 10th on the team.

The extra 10 pounds of muscle he added during quarantine has helped make him much stronger on the boards, and there is no one more excited to see it than his mom.

In an interview with the Toms on Fox Sports Arizona, Johnson talked about how his mom has been very impressed with his rebounding. Make mama proud, Cam.

The fact that Johnson can make it such that the Suns don’t lose a lot on the glass without Saric, it makes the whole team much more lethal, and even more so, when his 3-point shooting balances out with the law of averages very soon.