Miami Heat’s James Johnson cracks SI’s top 100 player rankings

After a career year, James Johnson is considered by Sports Illustrated as one of the best 100 players in the NBA.

It only took James Johnson eight years to break through, but after the best season of his career, the Miami Heat’s versatile forward is considered one of the best 100 players in the NBA, according to Sports Illustrated.

After playing for five teams through the first seven years of his career, Johnson signed with the Heat last summer to a one-year contract after a two-year stint with the Raptors. In Toronto, Johnson was relegated to standing in the corner as a stretch-4 and played fewer than 20 minutes per game.

After signing with the Heat, Johnson got in the best shape of his career, shedding body fat and getting quicker and stronger. Unlike Johnson’s past teams, Miami gave him more runway. Johnson handled the ball more, averaged 10 shot attempts per game for the first time, and was given increased defensive responsibilities.

The changes in his body and his role helped him average career highs in points (12.8), rebounds (4.9) and assists (3.6).

He became the Heat’s most versatile player, and earned a fresh four-year, $60 million deal this summer to stay in Miami. The NBA world has taken notice of Johnson. Here’s what Sports Illustrate’d Rob Mahoney had to say about Johnson:

"It wasn’t until his eighth season, his sixth team, and a 37-pound weight loss that Johnson finally found his place in the league. The Heat had the perfect culture to guide him; Miami’s rigorous standards for effort and conditioning demanded more of Johnson than any team ever had before. In turn, Johnson transformed. So many of the captivating flashes in his game became full-blown features. That development would mean a lot to the career of any journeyman, but especially to a marvel like Johnson. Up until this point, Johnson had been a rogue element. Last season established him as an every-night contributor—a big, physical combo forward (12.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.6 APG) who can fly around the court defensively and do a little bit of everything. The body of work is a touch slim for any ranking higher than this, though Johnson could solidify his standing in time."

As Mahoney writes, Johnson has only done this for one season. The Heat are banking on him continuing last season’s level of play for at least four more years. If he does that, Johnson would rise up these rankings. Still, no. 91 is a good spot for someone who was almost out of the league a year ago.

It’s unclear what role Johnson will play for the Heat this upcoming season, but he may have pole position on the starting power forward spot. It would be a well deserved promotion for a player who thrived off the bench for most of last season. Either way, expect him to play a significant role for the Heat again, as long as he keeps up his top-100 level of play.

Next: 5 reasons why the Heat will make the playoffs

Sports Illustrated only released the first 50 of the top 100. The top 50 will be announced at a later date.