James Johnson has stepped up late in the season

Amidst the Miami Heat’s late-season struggles, James Johnson continues to silence the critics.

Welcome to the Hot Hand, where after every Miami Heat game win or loss we recognize the player who best put his stamp on the game.

When thinking of household NBA stars, the name James Johnson will hardly ring a bell, and the nine-year veteran has struggled finding a permanent home over the course of his career.

In step Erik Spoelstra, in step the Miami Heat.

As his first season in South Beach nears its end, Johnson is quickly becoming a fan favorite among the Miami faithful.

Finishing off another impressive starting performance with 22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, Johnson once again stole the show as the Heat’s late comeback bid fell just short in the final minutes.

While Miami would go on to give this game away down the stretch, that didn’t prevent Johnson from continuing his red-hot streak.

Since the beginning of February, Johnson is averaging 14.6 points per game while shooting right around 50 percent from the field.

In 38 minutes logged last night, Johnson finished 8-of-17 from the floor, throwing down another impressive dunk along the way.

Matching up against his former team, it didn’t take Johnson long to find his groove, impacting the game on both ends of the court.

Going up against the likes of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, defense is no easy task.

The All Star tandem averages right around 50 points per game combined (49.9 to be exact) for the season, and DeRozan’s 38 points (on 14-of-32 shooting, however) proved too much for Miami to handle on a night the Heat struggled offensively.

”They play as well as anyone in this league,” DeRozan said following the game. ”They play extremely hard, they’re a very tough team and they showed it tonight.

It’s safe to assume DeRozan wouldn’t have been uttering that statement had it not been for the effort on both ends by Johnson, whom seems to have finally found his niche after appearing with seven teams since the 2009-10 season.

With Johnson in the lineup, Miami did average nearly eight fewer points per possession, but the key problem last night was clearly efficiency, not scoring.

The Heat shot just 39.8 percent from the floor as a group, further straining their push for a playoff spot and crippling their chances of winning on the road against a tough opponent.

The numbers don’t lie, either.

Field Goal Percentage (Per 100 Possessions)

Johnson on court: 41.2

Johnson off court: 33.3

Three Point Percentage (Per 100 Possessions)

On court: 36.8

Off court: 25.0

Impressive? No. Better with no. 16 on the floor? Yes.

If you turned back the clocks all the way to October and told me that Johnson would become one of Miami’s most prominent weapons, I’d have told you to get drug tested.

Today, that fantasy has become a reality, and Johnson has been embracing ev