Miami Heat: Grading every player at the midway point of the season
By Simon Smith
James Johnson
After a slightly shaky start to the season, Johnson has flourished as one of the best performing bench players in the league. Signed to a one-year deal in the offseason, Johnson has shown his vast array of skills having gotten in the best shape of his life. As Johnson himself noted recently:
"“Everything I could do, now I’m doing it faster, now I’m doing it stronger, and now I’m doing it longer.”"
In his 38 appearances thus far, Johnson is averaging a career-best 11.6 points per game to go along with 5.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 25.7 minutes per game. His efficiency has been most impressive, hitting at a 48.5 percent clip from the field and 37.1 percent from behind three.
The season started off in ordinary fashion for Johnson as he was still adjusting to being a member of the Heat. In a three game stretch, Johnson averaged 1.3 points and 5.0 rebounds, hitting on 1-of-13 overall from the field in 18.5 minutes per game. Fast forward the season and you can see how far he has come.
A recent four-game stretch saw Johnson average 19.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.2 steals. During this period he shot 55.6 percent from the field and an incredible 63.6 percent from behind including 3.5 made threes per game.
Johnson’s supreme level of versatility has been on show all season. His ability to bring the ball up the court, initiate the offence and set-up teammates has been a real feature. Furthermore, his ability to score from a number of areas on the floor makes him a tough matchup for any opposing team.
Out of contract at the end of the season, the Heat will not be the only team keen on securing Johnson’s services for the near future.
Check out highlights below of one of Johnson’s most impressive performances of the season. On the road against the Utah Jazz, Johnson posted 24 points, six rebounds and three assists in one of the Heat’s best wins of the season.