Is Miami Heat’s James Johnson making a case for Sixth Man of the Year?
By Frank Urbina
James Johnson has played great basketball off the bench for the Miami Heat. Does he deserve consideration for Sixth Man of the Year?
There’s no question that James Johnson has been the Miami Heat’s most pleasant surprise this season. Although his signing wasn’t received with much fanfare, he’s thus far exceeded even the most hopeful of expectations. I mean, the guy averaged five points a game last year. No one could have seen this coming.
Thus far, Johnson is scoring 10.3 points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out two assists per contest. It’s the first time in his seven-year career that he’s averaged double-digit points.
Further, he has already tied his career-high in three-pointers made for a season, having nailed 22 through 23 games. The last time he made 22 three-pointers, it took him 52 games, and it was back in 2014 for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Johnson’s impact goes way beyond the stats, however. The former Wake Forest big man is playing a fun brand of basketball, that has even national outlets taking notice.
First and foremost, he’s a great playmaker from the power forward position, and uses his craftiness to set up teammates, even if sometimes they aren’t expecting it. Just look at these two passes made to Justise Winslow from Friday night’s game for an example. One was an obvious passing situation, but the second was great improvisation by Johnson:
He drove in, drew multiple defenders, and found the second-year small forward for an easy finish.
That’s part of what makes Johnson so effective; opponents never know what he’s going to do next. He is a solid ball-handler, and once he gets a full head of steam, defenders can’t be sure if he’s headed to the rim, or trying to find a teammate.
The two passes I just showed you came after Johnson froze Blake Griffin (a very athletic defender), and got by him for a layup.
https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/809959242207793152
He can beat you himself, or make you over-commit to stopping him, which gives his teammates point-blank opportunities. Here’s one more example. Watch Johnson run the pick-and-roll himself (with Goran freaking Dragic as the screener), and feed Hassan Whiteside a perfect lob.
Fun!
Johnson is extremely versatile. Thanks to his size and dexterity, he can do a multitude of different things. Johnson can grab a rebound and bring the ball down himself, setting up the offense in the process. He can be the pick-and-roll screener, and finish around the basket (Johnson is shooting a respectable 60 percent from within five feet of the rim). And he can throw it down on opposing bigs.
He can also really play defense. By the numbers, Johnson has been Miami’s most lock-down defender. Players that Johnson covers have shot 11 percentage points worse than their average for the season. His quick feet help him stay in front of opposing guards if he has to switch onto them, and he has just enough size to guard big men in the post.
Additionally, in what has been a new but interesting wrinkle, coach Erik Spoelstra has been experimenting with Johnson playing some backup center. Couper Moorehead, who writes for the Heat’s official site, had a great piece on the topic (which I highly recommend).
In it, he outlines why this move has been successful thus far for Miami. Johnson at center gives the Heat more floor-spacing, which opens up the offense for everyone. Moreover, opposing centers cannot guard Johnson out on the perimeter. His ability to handle the basketball will usually result in either a drive and finish, or at the very least, him drawing a foul. If an NBA writer on the level of Zach Lowe takes notice, you know coach Spoelstra has done something right.
Is everyone ready for an obscure NBA tweet? OK. I am enjoying this little James Johnson, Point Center thing happening in Miami.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) December 15, 2016
Sometimes, the move does backfire. For example, DeAndre Jordan was able to grab what was the game-deciding rebound and put-back on Friday night because the 6-foot-9 forward by trade simply didn’t have the size to box him out. But even regardless of a hiccup here or there, Johnson at center has been a nice change of pace for Miami. And it’s one that the Heat will continue to go to for the foreseeable future.
That’s all to say, somehow, this career journeyman in Johnson has had a fantastic season so far. Coach Spoelstra has given him free reign to play within himself, but aggressively. After seeing around 16 minutes per game last season for the Toronto Raptors, that number has risen to 25 minutes nightly for the Heat. And coach Spoelstra has seen his trust rewarded tenfold.
Is he a legitimate candidate for Sixth Man of the Year?
Probably not. Despite how well he has played for Miami, Johnson doesn’t have numbers that stack up favorably against former winners. The last ten players who won the award held averages of 17 points, four rebounds and three assists per contest.
Plus, the Heat are 9-18, and most guys who received the coveted recognition were on teams that ended up making the playoffs. The last time a Sixth Man of the Year was on a non-playoff team was 1994 (Dell Curry of the Charlotte Hornets; and even that team won 41 games).
So odds are slim that Johnson receives serious consideration, but ultimately, it doesn’t matter. He’s been a pleasure to watch, and hopefully he can continue playing at this impressive, albeit surprising, pace.