Though the 2016-17 season is still young and has had its ups and downs for a HEAT squad trying to establish a consistent rotation, there has been at least one steady, 6'9, 250 lb. pillar of hustle and versatility this team has leaned on in the early going to deliver off the bench.
One could argue James Johnson is well on his way to a career year. In 20 games this season, the forward is averaging 9.9 points per game, shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc and pulling down 4.7 rebounds per game, all career-highs. He also currently leads the team with a 0.93 RPM. While his improved shooting and rebounding alone are welcomed developments, his case is made even stronger by the fact that he's also one of the team's top defenders. Johnson's evolution into a more balanced contributor has been a boon for Miami.
“James Johnson was making plays all over the floor,” Erik Spoelstra said specifically of his forward's performance against the Utah Jazz Thursday night in what was one of the HEAT's closest victories of the season.
His 99.3 defensive rating this season is a team-best among players averaging at least 20 minutes a game, and he's present in four of the five lineup permutations with the lowest defensive ratings.
Johnson has already put his stamp on many games this season, including Thursday's game in Utah. He played nearly the entire fourth quarter, including the final 4:17 of the game while making impact plays all the way down to the wire, such as a thunderous dunk over defensive stalwart Rudy Gobert late in the game when the HEAT needed points, and his burst off a screen that altered Gordon Hayward's attempt at a game-winner with under five seconds to go…
“JJ played amazing defense, you know, made him double-clutch,” Hassan Whiteside said of Johnson's effort on the final play of the game.
“We were a little bit late on that denial, and boy he got into an open gap, but JJ covered a lot of ground,” Spoelstra said. The contested shot was one of a team-high 11 Johnson tallied on the night.
Further magnifying his value is an improved skill set on offense. Johnson currently ranks fifth on the team in Pace, meaning he wastes little time moving the ball up court each possession the ball is in his hands – his unique combination of size and ball-handling skills makes it tough on defenders to stay in front of him. He can advance the ball up court from basket to basket like a point guard, attack from the wing with finesse like a small forward, or bully his way to the rim like the big he is…
Spoelstra recognized the kind of player Johnson's always been, but said that there was an opportunity to unlock his full potential here this year.
“We want to be open-minded to whoever he wanted to push himself to become, and sometimes in this league it depends on the right place, the right opportunity, the right timing.
We've always respected the way he competed against us and we felt that because of his versatility and his skill set and his ability to play on both ends of the court that it would be a good fit with us, but he did his part.”
While he's always been known to handle the ball well and create for himself when necessary, one of the new skills Johnson has added to his game this year has been a three-point shot…
With his overall three-point percentage sitting at around the league average, it's important to break that number down further to see exactly how dramatically he's improved this year.
The above chart shows that he's shooting a combined 45.2 percent from the top of the arc, the right wing and right corner – well above the league average from those areas of the court. Johnson is also currently just two made three-pointer's shy of eclipsing his previous career-high of 22 for a season, which he set in 2013-14 with the Memphis Grizzlies.
The uptick in volume and success from deep has been catching players across the league off guard this season, including this Jazz defender.
“He's not known as a shooter, he made a few 3 pointers,” Gobert said of Johnson Thursday during post-game interviews. “He was very aggressive. He's a pretty good player. I think we should have done a better job on him.”
The HEAT forward's hard work and patience in developing a long ball has resulted in more successful drive-and-kick opportunities, shots off screens, and even the occasional pull-up-in-a-defender's-face jumper…
Also of note is that Johnson has drained at least one three-pointer in all but four of his last 16 games. Little by little, he's establishing a reputation of consistency with his long ball, turning an opportunity to improve into a strength.
When asked about how the HEAT system has helped improve his overall game, Johnson acknowledged the team's discipline and culture. “Everything, the championship organization, how they carry us, how we have to carry ourselves.”
As a daunting December schedule looms against some of the league's toughest competition, Johnson's challenge will only get tougher, but as far as he's concerned, the hard work has only just begun.
“I finally got a shot, and I'm working hard to keep it.”
