Chaney Johnson has been one of Auburn's most consistent shooters, ranking just behind Dylan Cardwell in field goal percentage at 56.3 in Tigers that play regularly.
In Auburn's victory on Wednesday night against LSU, the forward went 0-for-5 from inside the three-point line. It was the second time in three games Johnson struggled from the field, finishing 1-for-9 in the win against Georgia on January 18. So, how does the senior get this fixed?
"For me personally, I feel like I just need to go a little bit tougher," he said. "People are writing about how strong I am and stuff like that, but sometimes I'll be begging for foul calls and looking for foul calls instead of just finishing through people's chest and finishing through their chin."
The workhorse put in countless hours during the offseason in the gym and putting on weight heading into his second season on the Plains. He also worked on his outside shot, improving his three-point percentage by three points to 30.3 percent. And while that isn't close to being the best on the team, Johnson is still looking for his shot because of the confidence that Bruce Pearl has instilled in him.
"It's great to have a coach that you can be shooting — and I'm probably shooting below 30%, and still have a coach telling me to keep shooting. It's great to have coaches like Bruce on your side, feeding you confidence even when sometimes you don't have it yourself."
Against the Bayou Bengals, he made both three-point attempts, including a vital one in the second half that put Auburn's lead at 11 with 11:22 left. It was his first triple since hitting one against Mississippi State on January 14.
"It's always a good feeling to see them shots finally go in after so long," Johnson said.
It was something that Pearl saw coming.
"Wait till Chaney Johnson starts knocking down threes," the Auburn coach said after Saturday's victory against Tennessee. "And I'm calling it. Like, I'm calling it right now. Wait till Chaney Johnson starts knocking down. He can do it. And I do think we need him to start doing it to beat the best teams in our schedule."
