The Miami Heat are set to shell out $19 million to Tyler Johnson next season.
For all the jokes about being able to fix his smile, Tyler Johnson’s 2018-19 Miami Heat contract carries a burden.
The burden emanates from the same locus that drives discussions of whether Captain America really could have lifted Mjolnir, or whether Paper Boi would be better off if Earn wasn’t his manager.
Johnson’s deal, signed in the summer of 2016, is accompanied by its new best friend: comparison.
If docu-series like ESPN’s 30 For 30 or NBA TV’s What If… weren’t convincing enough, the NBA (and every sports/entertainment thing ever) enjoys a good comparison. Raw numbers and stats create the baseline for juxtaposition but can unfairly skew the conversation away from a good, old-fashioned eye test.
Among Heat Nation, Johnson’s impending salary spike is a feast for water-coolers and message boards, as the dollar signs suggest a level of play beyond his current means. His price tag surpasses Klay Thompson and John Wall and is just shy of Jimmy Butler and Kyrie Irving, all of whom are All-Star talent.
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Johnson’s 2017-18 season marked a decline in almost every meaningful stat, making him all too easy a scapegoat for Miami’s shortcomings. Dwyane Wade’s return and head coach Erik Spoelstra’s funky lineups should also take some of the blame, but nothing was more visible than Johnson’s hunt for his role.
Expecting Johnson to blossom into the South Beach version of Thompson next year however, is unfair. Given his work ethic, Johnson could surely remodel himself into Miami’s number-one catch-and-shoot option. And as much as shooting like, if not better than, Thompson would validate his contract, Thompson is the last thing Miami needs.
Beyond Johnson and Thompson’s physical dissimilarities, the current Miami squad is reliant on it’s ball-handling variety. This season the Heat saw Justise Winslow usurp some of the backcourt duties, trending away from the James Johnson point forward experiment.
For the smaller of the “Brothers Johnson” to deserve the upcoming raise, he’ll need to expand on what enticed Miami to match the Brooklyn Nets’ $50 million offer sheet in 2016.
"“I have a lot of tools that I haven’t even really tapped into yet because I haven’t known how to,” Johnson told the Miami Herald. “It all starts with my mental stability and my mental understanding of the game. I think the physical aspect can, obviously, get better. You can always improve, and get bigger, stronger and faster.”"
Johnson’s game can take a lot of cues from current teammate Wade. Both natural shooting guards, Johnson demonstrated his defensive acumen in 2016-17, averaging 1.2 steals per game over 73 contests.
He also tempered his 249 looks from beyond the arc, with 217 at the rim, speaking to his ability to sneak his undersized frame through the lane. Rebuilding his ball-handling game would give Johnson a fresh look for 2019, revitalizing his inside-out approach that suffered this season.
Johnson even electrified the team with dunks that seemingly channeled witchcraft given his slight appearance.
The Heat don’t need a Thompson. With any luck, Wayne Ellington will return and provide a such a likeness.
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Miami needs Johnson to be his best self, and his new deal might just be the perfect confidence boost.