Chaney Johnson didn’t need much time to make his point.

After spending most of the season in the G League, the Nets’ two-way forward has needed just two NBA games to show Brooklyn what it hoped it was getting back in December. Not a player who needs the offense handed to him. A player who can jump into a game, do a little of everything and leave a mark without ever hijacking the possession.

The Nets signed the former Auburn standout to a two-way contract on Dec. 25, filling their final open roster slot with a versatile wing who’d been slowly forcing his way into the NBA picture. At 6-7, Johnson fits the profile Brooklyn has prioritized, athletic, switchable and capable of contributing on both ends.

With the Cleveland Charge, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ G League affiliate, he averaged 12.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks in 16 games, production that matched the way he plays. He impacts the game with activity more than volume.

That’s what’s translated so far.

Johnson made his NBA debut Monday night at Barclays Center in the Nets’ 126-115 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, and his stat line in five minutes looked like a fast-forward version of his scouting report. Four points on 2-for-2 shooting, plus a rebound, a steal and a block. No hesitation. No trying to do too much. Just the simple stuff that coaches trust early, finish a play, make the right cut, compete defensively and be ready when the ball finds him.

The role expanded the very next night, and the approach stayed the same. Johnson played 22 minutes in Tuesday’s loss to the Detroit Pistons and finished with five points on 2-for-3 shooting, including a 3-pointer, along with one rebound and one assist. The Nets got a clean look at how he holds up when the minutes aren’t a cameo and the game asks more of him.

Johnson was a star at Thompson High School in Alabaster, Ala., then began college at Division II Alabama Huntsville, where he grew into a centerpiece and earned Gulf South Conference Player of the Year honors. He later transferred to Auburn and shifted from featured option to role player on a national contender, carving out minutes with defense, physicality and efficiency.

Over two seasons at Auburn, he helped the Tigers win SEC titles and reach the 2025 Final Four. As a senior, he averaged 9.1 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 56.7% from the field, producing without needing a big usage rate. After going undrafted in 2025, he joined Cleveland for Summer League and training camp before settling into a larger role with the Charge.

Even there, the calling card wasn’t just stats. It was how he got them. Johnson scored in double figures 10 times, opened the G League Tip-Off Tournament with three straight 20-point performances and shot over 60% from the field. He also hit 40% of his 3-point attempts on limited volume while thriving in transition and defending with energy. At the G League Showcase in Orlando, he shot 9-for-10 from the floor and 2-for-2 from deep across two games in front of evaluators from all 30 NBA teams. Not long after, Brooklyn called.

Now, two games into his NBA run, the Nets have seen the same thing in smaller doses. He finishes plays, competes on defense and doesn’t need the ball to matter. For a two-way forward trying to stick, those are key qualities.

Johnson should get that chance again Thursday. With Ziaire Williams, Nolan Traoré, Michael Porter Jr., Day’Ron Sharpe and Egor Dëmin out for the Nets’ road matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn will need minutes from somewhere, and Johnson is one of the healthier, more reliable options to soak them up.