Chaney Johnson believes the Brooklyn Nets are approaching the 2026-27 season with added motivation after finishing 20-62 and 13th in the Eastern Conference. The second-year forward is also aiming to turn a productive rookie season and strong Summer League into a larger NBA role.
“I just feel like we’re hungry,” Johnson told Connor Long of Yahoo Sports, Hoops Rumors. “They know — we realize how terrible of a team we were last year, or how terrible we did. I know ‘terrible’ is a strong word, so I don’t want to — but we weren’t the best team last year. So I feel like we’ve got that chip on our shoulder now, and we’re ready to prove some people wrong.”
Johnson appeared in 17 games for Brooklyn as a rookie, including one start, and averaged 8.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 20.5 minutes. He shot 54.3% from the field and posted a 59.0% effective field-goal percentage, while averaging 1.9 offensive rebounds per game.
Most of Johnson’s development work came in the G League, where he played 40 games and averaged 14.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals in 26.3 minutes. He shot 57.8% from the field and 36.2% from three-point range, including 40.0% from deep during his 16 games with the Cleveland Charge.
The 24-year-old then carried that production into Las Vegas. Johnson averaged 13.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in Summer League while leading all players with 3.3 steals per game, giving Brooklyn another indicator of his defensive activity and rebounding.
That production could be important for a Nets roster that is still heavily focused on player development. Brooklyn added multiple young players through the 2026 draft, while Johnson is competing for minutes among a group of wings and forwards that includes Michael Porter Jr., Noah Clowney, Josh Minott, Ziaire Williams and several younger additions.
Johnson’s rookie numbers also compare favorably in several efficiency areas. Among Nets players who appeared in at least 15 games last season, his 54.3% field-goal percentage ranked behind only Nic Claxton, Day’Ron Sharpe and Malachi Smith, while his 1.9 offensive rebounds per game came in fewer than 21 minutes.
Brooklyn’s 20-win season left the franchise 40 games behind the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons and ahead of only Indiana and Washington in the standings. The Nets’ rebuilding timeline, however, creates opportunities for players who can establish themselves through development rather than relying solely on veteran experience.
