Brotherly love brings out the best in Johnsons, as NBA's Cam preps Puff for North Carolina

The competition between brothers Cameron and Donovan “Puff” Johnson is constant and never more evident than on the basketball court in the driveway of their Moon Township home.

The games became so competitive neighbors started to gather to watch them play, so intense their parents made them stop before a winner could be determined.

“Sometimes, the one-on-one games get a little too heated,” said Cam, a 6-foot-8 rookie forward with the Phoenix Suns who was the No. 11 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, averaged 8.1 points and shot 39.7% from 3-point range (91 of 229) this season. “The last time we played in the driveway, he ended up in the bush with cuts all over his back. … We had to call that one a little short. But we’re getting a little better at the not-killing-each-other stage of one-on-one and concentrating on working on stuff.”

Truth be told, theirs is more of a symbiotic relationship. Puff wants to follow in his big brother’s footsteps, from playing at North Carolina to becoming the next WPIAL player selected in the NBA Draft lottery, and Cam wants to help him reach that goal. For that reason, their time spent together at home the past 10 weeks during the coronavirus crisis has been invaluable — even if Puff jokes that Cam plays the big brother card by calling every foul for himself.

“I don’t get mad or down,” said Puff, who led Moon to the 2019 PIAA Class 5A championship and played his senior season at Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix. “Of course, every time I play him, I expect to win, and I expect it to be a good game. Just knowing that he’s older, and he’s there already, that’s somewhere I want to go. So I can’t be stubborn. I have to be more of a listener and a learner than being hard-headed.”

The Johnsons are attempting to bring out the best in each other. Cam can offer the insight of what it is like to play for Roy Williams and the Tar Heels, and Puff provides a mirror image but with a longer reach and a game suited to playing in the paint.

“He’s long,” Cam said of Puff, who at 6-7, 198 pounds, stands just a shade shorter than his brother but has the wingspan of a 7-footer. “He can contest shots pretty well. Honestly, he’s a rim protector for his size. When we’re playing one on one and I get in the lane, he really gives you some resistance there.

“He tries to be way more physical than his frame would suggest, and he really throws it around.”

Cam has found it more effective to do his ballhandling and skills drills in tandem with a four-star basketball recruit — ESPN ranks Puff the No. 59 prospect in the Class of 2020 — and is returning the favor by pushing Puff to work on improving his game in preparation for his first season of college basketball.

The Johnsons have many of Cam’s games at Carolina recorded on their DVR, so the brothers watch and study them together. Cam gives Puff pointers on the plays and team offensive and defensive concepts, then peppers him with questions.

“He’s really embracing that,” Cam said. “He’s really paying attention to the stuff I’m teaching him. I’ll pause the game and give him a quiz: ‘Why did we do this? What happens here? What was this call? What do you think we’re going to do next?’ He’s picking it up pretty well, and I think that’s going to be a good head start for him.”

Cam stresses Williams demands three things from his players: the ability to run, rebound and limit turnovers. Puff believes the daily lessons give him a head start on his classmates — Carolina’s freshman class is ranked No. 3 nationally by ESPN — and considers his brother’s advice a “great advantage.”

“It’s definitely a great experience, seeing what he did there,” Puff said. “I have big shoes to fill, but I’m preparing to work as hard as he did and do what coach expects. … He’s where I want to be, so it’s great to play against him, work against him and see how he guards me and see how I’m supposed to guard him and get ready for the ACC.”