All U Can Heat
Fansided

James Johnson at center could be a game-changer for the Miami Heat

By Wes Goldberg

Dec 12, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) drives to the basket as Miami Heat forward James Johnson (16) and Miami Heat guard Rodney McGruder (17) both defend the play during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 112-101. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 12, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) drives to the basket as Miami Heat forward James Johnson (16) and Miami Heat guard Rodney McGruder (17) both defend the play during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 112-101. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Miami Heat unveiled a small-ball lineup with James Johnson at center in Monday’s win over the Wizards.

In what was a closely played game, the Washington Wizards pulled out to an 11 point lead in the third quarter behind the efforts of John Wall and Bradley Beal. The Washington backcourt was torching the Heat, and it didn’t help that Dragic sat out most of the third because of foul trouble.

As a response, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra went with a small-ball lineup we had yet to see this season. With Hassan Whiteside on the bench and James Johnson at center, Miami was able to erase the deficit and take an 82-81 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Read More: James Johnson’s resurgence matters

It’s a lineup, according to the Miami Herald, that Spoelstra’s had in his pocket but had yet to utilize before Monday’s win.

"“We made it coming out of training camp, we just never got to it,” Spoelstra said of the lineup with Johnson at center surrounded by Dragic, Tyler Johnson, Rodney McGruder, Josh Richardson and then Wayne Ellington before center Hassan Whiteside, who finished with 17 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks in 33 minutes, finally re-entered the game with 3:18 remaining.“This was just born out of necessity in this game.”"

Johnson has been one of the Heat’s most versatile players this season. His ability to create his own shot, facilitate and defend most positions came into play Monday.

As center, Johnson was also bringing the ball up the court when Dragic was out. Playing the 5 on defense, while leading the offense. It’s the sort of thing we’ve seen from Draymond Green or–dare I say it–LeBron James.

It’s a lineup the Heat ought to go with more. Playing small allowed Dragic, when he did return, more room to attack the basket and create for his teammates. Dragic scored a Heat-career-high 34 points in the win, while taking the most shots (23) since he arrived in Miami. He also notched five assists. The team rises with Dragic’s aggressiveness, and a small-ball unit is more suited to his skill set.

Read More: 5 takeaways from the Heat’s win over the Wizards

For comparison, the Golden State Warriors used its Lineup of Death roughly 8-12 minutes per game last season, so it’s not as if the small unit plays a majority of the game. But a similar allotment of time to a Johnson-led five-man unit could provide the juice the Heat–and Dragic–need to improve this season.

Home/Heat News