After his debut season with the Miami Heat, James Johnson got paid. But one season later, is he still worth it?
When James Johnson came to the Miami Heat, he was setting career-highs.
He was more aggressive than he had been up to that point and found his partner in crime, Tyler Johnson. While those two became the Brothers Johnson, it was huge for Miami’s 30-11 finish to the 2016-17 campaign.
It was time for a big payday after that.
Despite never making over three million in a season, the Heat signed him to a four-year, $60 million deal. With three years left on his contract, Miami has to ask themselves how valuable Johnson is considering his slight downfall this past season.
There should be an emphasis on the word slight though, because Johnson is still putting up some of the best numbers of his career. On paper, you probably wouldn’t even consider it to be a concern.
Rather, the concern is from fans who watched him play the last two seasons.
Johnson still was able to get the job done when the Heat needed him to. Yet, something seemed off. He wasn’t as explosive as he was the season prior, nor did he seem to be as aggressive. Standing 6-foot-9 and 205 pounds, not many would want to mess with the undefeated MMA fighter, let alone stand in front of him.
When it comes to defense, he’s dominant at that size. Earlier in the season, he might have been one of the best defenders while facing LeBron James. Johnson held James to just 4-of-10 shooting and six turnovers, during the March 27 matchup.
Where was the consistency?
That game was a glimpse of when Johnson was at his best. Unfortunately, that wasn’t a constant throughout the season.
Recently we learned why Johnson seemed to be limited, after having surgery for a sports hernia; something that Johnson had been dealing with for the second half of the season.
But once again, we have seen just how relentless Johnson is, as he started the majority of the games in the second half of the season. Recovery time is normally around seven to eight weeks, so Johnson will not have to deal with this next season.
Still, the question the Heat have to ask is if they can spend their money better elsewhere.
When it comes down to it, Johnson is extremely valuable to the Heat. He has to be or else president Pat Riley wouldn’t have spent the type of money that he did on him. He’s one of the best defenders on the team and a great passer; his 280 assists on the season landing him second on the team.
The only way the Heat would get rid of Johnson is if they pursue an All-Star this off-season
Next: Are the Miami Heat in need of a backcourt shakeup?
With a stacked free agent list, it’s likely that Riley tries to make some big moves.