Miami Heat player preview: Tyler Johnson

Johnson’s strengths

Johnson has a number of attributes that can help any team, not just the Heat. His tenacity when playing is self-evident. Defensively, like his game overall, Johnson goes all-out. At 6-foot-4 with terrific athleticism, Johnson is equally apt at guarding both backcourt positions.

And its not just the level of intensity which he displays on a nightly basis. He has had to fight his way into the league via the D-League, having been shown little interest coming out of college.

Over his first two seasons at Fresno State, he averaged just 6.9 points per game on 42.7 percent shooting in 23.5 minutes per game. By his senior year, these numbers had leapt to 15.9 points per game on 48 percent shooting in 33.6 minutes per game.

As a lowly recruited player coming out both high school and college, Johnson has had to work for everything. He exemplifies the Pat Riley mantra. Therefore, his rapid improvement in his short time in the NBA should come as no surprise.

The Heat clearly see huge upside, as has been evident in his short time on South beach.

In his 68 appearances for the Heat, there have been 21 games in which he has attempted eight or more field goal attempts. His numbers for those games are: 14.7 points per game; 56.4 field goal percentage; 30 minutes per game; 21 usage rate.

Considering he has averaged 16.9 for usage rate overall, this doesn’t represent an enormous jump. But it certainly does represent supreme efficiency, as can be seen by the incredible shooting percentages he has produced in these games.

In order to get the most out of an attacking point guard like Goran Dragic, an efficient backcourt partner would be seen as a great fit, and Johnson certainly fits the bill there.

In the new era of analytics, attempting the most bang-for-your-buck field goals is certainly the new direction for efficiency. Or more specifically, getting to the rim and three-point shooting.

This past season, 44 percent of Johnson’s total field goal attempts were attempted at the rim, with a conversion rate of 63.4 percent. Further, 25.4 percent of his total shots were from behind the three point line, with a 39.5 percent conversion rate. These numbers alone are very impressive, and could potentially become even better.

Continuing with the analytical approach, there were a number of factors behind Dragic not reaching his potential alongside Wade. One large factor to take into account is the percentage of baskets made unassisted. This past season, where Wade ranked fifth in the league for usage rate, just 28.3 percent of Wade’s baskets were unassisted.

Compare that to Johnson at 57.6 percent and the distinction is clear. Whilst Johnson is highly apt at getting to the rim, playing off the ball and within the team structure is clearly one of his great strengths.