Johnson’s weaknesses
Whilst Johnson has excelled to this point both at the rim and from behind the three-point line, there are some others which require improvement.
Per Basketball Reference, last season Johnson shot at just 40 percent from between three to ten feet. Also, he made just 42 percent on his shots between 16 feet and the the three-point line. There are some other causes for concern also on the offensive end.
Last season, Johnson took over the starting point guard position for a four-game stretch in place of the injured Goran Dragic. Johnson’s lack of experience and polish became evident during this stretch.
Over his 36 games last season, Johnson had an average Box Plus/Minus of +0.3 for the season, per NBA.com. During this four-game stretch, however, he posted an average of -13.8. This stat looks at how teams perform with a certain player on the court. Whilst he averaged 1.3 turnovers per game for the season, this rate jumped to 2.8 in this stretch. The Heat lost each of the four games Johnson started by an average of 19 points.
It is clear that Johnson is not a natural point guard, and that much improvement will be required to bring him up to such a level. With an increase in competition for playing time this season, this area of his game is going to be crucial.