Miami Heat 3-point shooting: the good, the bad and the ugly

The Ugly: Johnson & Johnson

For all of the good that both James Johnson and Tyler Johnson do for the Heat to directly impact winning, both have gotten off to very slow starts from 3.

Last year, the Brothers Johnson both contributed almost 3.5 3-point attempts per game and, of the players who played more than 60 games, were in the top five for percentage. With the loss of Rodney McGruder, it was even more important that both Johnson and Johnson came out strong from 3 and that just hasn’t happened. Tyler is 2-of-11 and James is 1-of-9, with neither shooting the ball with any type of confidence.

While James Johnson didn’t shoot the ball well in the preseason, Tyler Johnson did, making the regression all the more surprising. The encouraging thing for Tyler Johnson is that a vast majority of his 11 attempts are very good, open looks created within the offense. Only three can be argued to be contested, off-balance or rushed.

This is a smart play by Tyler Johnson to recognize that Winslow at least appeared to be spilling to the corner on the Waiters drive, which drew the Magic’s Jonathan Isaac as well as his defender D.J. Augustin. All Johnson had to do was shift to the wing, spot up and wait. It’s a miss, but this is a positive look for Tyler.

On the other hand, James Johnson is struggling. His shot selection, while good at times, needs to be more selective and far more patient. James is at his best when he allows his offense to come within the flow of the system, whether that dictates a 3 or a drive to the rim.

Too often has he resorted to quick, contested 3’s that don’t suit his game and certainly won’t inspire much confidence as he desperately searches for anything to spark his offensive game.

Again a miss, but this is a good look from Johnson and something he should look for in the future.

This is just a simple, effective play by Johnson to recognize he is being guarded by Muscala, who cannot guard on the perimeter, and put him in an uncomfortable situation to give himself a wide-open look.

With Johnson and Johnson, the concern level should be very low as these two are too good to stay this bad for much longer. But the Heat’s offense will continue to be stagnant at times when they are unable to score consistently.

Next: The Miami Heat are banged up against the San Antonio Spurs

The Heat host the San Antonio Spurs for a nationally televised matchup tonight, at 8 PM ET.