Miami Heat: Grading every player at the midway point of the season
By Simon Smith
Tyler Johnson
Johnson thus far has rewarded the faith the Heat front office showed in him this past offseason. The four-year, $50 million deal he signed was met with a great deal of skepticism. But Johnson has proven to be more than apt at both guard positions in his role coming coming off the bench.
In 39 appearances, Johnson is averaging 14.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game. And while he is shooting just 43.1 percent from the field., he is nailing 37.9 percent of his three-point attempts in 31.0 minutes per game. One of Johnson’s most noticeable contributions has been his improved ball-handling ability.
Despite increasing his playing increasing from 24.0 to 31.0 minutes per game, Johnson’s turnover has rate decreased, averaging just 1.0 turnover per game. Overall, there have been 12 games this season where Johnson has not committed a turnover. Considering the fact the Heat don’t have a certified backup point guard, this is a very encouraging accomplishment.
One interesting note from Johnson this season: in the current analytics-era, most teams have significantly reduced shooting from certain areas of the field. This season, 9.7 percent of Johnson’s total field goal attempts have been taken from between 20 feet and the three-point line. He is hitting at a 50 percent clip on these shots. Therefore in Johnson’s case, the “long-two” has actually been a weapon of choice.
Check out highlights below of Johnson’s career-high performance this season against the Orlando Magic. Johnson posted 32 points on 13-of-20 from the field in a double-overtime loss.