Chaney Johnson
Chaney Johnson is a 24-year-old two-way big man entering his second NBA season with Brooklyn, fighting for a fringe frontcourt role rather than a guaranteed rotation spot.
Role
Johnson is on a two-way contract, which per Rotowire's August 5, 2026 analysis makes him more likely to open the season with the G League's Long Island Nets than with the parent club unless injuries strike. Brooklyn Nets training camp opened September 29, 2026 after a 20-player camp roster was announced that day, and the team's preseason opener is scheduled for October 6, 2026 at Charlotte, which has not yet been played as of this check. A Yahoo Sports camp breakdown (dated within the last two weeks) frames Brooklyn's need for a third center behind starter Day'Ron Sharpe and backup Mo Wagner as an open competition among Danny Wolf, Grant Nelson, Chaney Johnson, or Julius Randle in an emergency, following Nic Claxton's departure.
A Nets-focused training camp primer (Steve Lichtenstein's Substack, checked within the past week) singled out Johnson as a potential camp 'flyer' who could elevate himself with strong practices and preseason outings, noting he was forced to play center late last season and competed physically there, and that in July 2026 New York Post reporter Brian Lewis wrote that Johnson had impressed the Nets playing small-ball center during Summer League.
The same camp primer notes Johnson is athletically gifted but still needs to show he can knock down threes more consistently, and as a two-way player his default path, per Rotowire, is to begin the season with the G League affiliate rather than Brooklyn's NBA roster unless the parent team needs him due to injury.
Where analysts split
There is no real disagreement among analysts about Johnson's ceiling this preseason; the open question reporters are tracking is a roster-mechanics one: whether he, Danny Wolf, or Grant Nelson wins the emergency third-center job behind Sharpe and Wagner during camp and preseason, or whether Johnson instead starts the year on assignment with Long Island as his two-way status would typically dictate.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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