Miami Heat Makes and Misses: Whiteside struggles, others surge

Make: James Johnson

It’s not a coincidence that the Heat are undefeated following the return of  James Johnson from injury, playing his first game since the middle of December during a January 3 tilt with the Detroit Pistons.

Of course, Johnson’s trademark defense and playmaking versatility gave the Heat an added dynamic on both ends of the floor, but nowhere was his impact felt more than on the defensive end. Particularly late in games, as the Heat pulled out dramatic wins against the New York Knicks and Utah Jazz.

Overall, the Heat sported a dominant defensive rating of 95 with Johnson on the floor over this three-game stretch (that rating ballooned to 118 with Johnson off). But it was the crucial plays late, that helped the Heat put away these pesky opponents.

Starting with a testy overtime against the Knicks, Johnson came up with a key steal that sprung Josh Richardson for the game’s deciding points, thanks to blanketing defense on both Kristaps Porzingis and then again on Jarrett Jack.

Johnson teamed up with Kelly Olynyk for this defensive stand, showcasing two of the Heat’s most versatile players working together.  Not only does Johnson prevent the pass into Porzingis by aggressively fronting, but he is able to rotate over to Jack when Olynyk is beat off the dribble and anticipate the pass.

Porzingis is easily the Knicks’ best player in that situation, so leaving him wouldn’t normally be in the best interest of the defense. But Johnson trusts his ability to the point of being able to deflect that pass and not allow Porzingis an easy run to the rim.

The numbers on the defensive end over this stretch are staggering and shows just how disruptive he can be. Offensive players shot almost 11 percent below their average when guarded by Johnson and those shots outside 15 feet came in at just 11 percent, a 28 percent difference from the average.

Johnson’s poise on defense, particularly when contesting shots, showed during the final possession against the Jazz.

Again, Johnson understands the situation fully, knowing that Donovan Mitchell doesn’t have enough time to get a pass to an open Rodney Hood. The only option for Mitchell is to take the final shot and Johnson makes that infinitely more challenging. Without his help, the sensational rookie probably gets off the shot that he wanted.

There isn’t a technical term for this type of action, it’s just simply veteran savviness, which is exactly what the Heat need from Johnson down the stretch this year. He doesn’t need to be the highest scorer or very best player every night.

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But he’s the glue that holds this Heat team together and the more he plays like this, the more wins they’ll pile up.