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Miami Heat Roundtable: Who will earn league honors this season?

By Allana Tachauer

SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 14: Tyler Johnson #8 of the Miami Heat looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on March 14, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 14: Tyler Johnson #8 of the Miami Heat looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on March 14, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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MIAMI, FL – APRIL 11: Tyler Johnson #8 of the Miami Heat looks on against the Toronto Raptors during the first half at American Airlines Arena on April 11, 2018 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL – APRIL 11: Tyler Johnson #8 of the Miami Heat looks on against the Toronto Raptors during the first half at American Airlines Arena on April 11, 2018 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Ok, let’s take a walk down memory lane for a second. Was Tyler Johnson snubbed for Sixth Man of the Year in 2016-17?

Leniart: He most certainly deserved more votes, but I wouldn’t say he was snubbed. The award that year went to Houston Rockets’ guard Eric Gordon. Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams finished second and third respectively. Tyler Johnson only received one third place vote, which was tied for eleventh in the category. It is interesting to compare Johnson’s stats with Gordon’s from that season. The only areas in which Gordon had a better statistical season than Johnson were: minutes per game, free throw percentage, and points per game. Johnson averaged more rebounds, blocks, and steals than Gordon. He also had a better assist-to-turnover ratio, and finished the year with a better overall field goal percentage. Ok, I just changed my mind. Tyler Johnson was indeed snubbed for SIxth Man of the Year in 2017.

Eyrich: Johnson was a great sixth man for the Heat; you can’t take that away from him. Yet, what Gordon did for the Rockets in his first season with the team… coming off the bench, he meant way more to the Rockets than what Johnson did. And as an Indiana native myself, it’s hard for me to not give the nod to Gordon.

Rahming: It’s funny you should ask. Tyler Johnson (one third place vote) had a breakout season in the sixth man role, but still finished 12th in voting for the award behind peculiar names like Vince Carter, Tim Hardaway Jr., Enes Kanter, and last but not least, James Johnson. Gordon ended his first year in Houston in first place, with Iguodala in second. I’m not sure that Johnson was snubbed this particular season, but it is interesting that his teammate that had fewer minutes per game beat him out, when the voting dust settled. So I took it to basketball reference and pitted those four players against each other for a comparison of their 2016-17 seasons. It looks like the voters fell for the new shiny toy that season. Gordon certainly had the volume on the other candidates with more minutes, starts (15), and shot attempts per game (13.5). But to be honest, the only category where Gordon stood out above the other three players was Effective Field Goal Percentage. Perhaps his 8.8 3-point attempts per game had something to do with it (The D’Antoni Effect). Gordon and Johnson tied in 3-point percentage (37.2) with Iguodala only one percentage point behind. Once again defense and rebounding were neglected this time around, where both Johnsons ranked first and second in rebounds steal and blocks per game. Unfortunately for Tyler Johnson, the voters only cared about points per game and free throws per game. Those were the only categories, along with effective field goal percentage, where Gordon ranked head and shoulders above Iguodala, T. Johnson, and J. Johnson.

Mora: Absolutely not. I actually think Jamal Crawford was the best role player of the league that year. While I’ve been critically harsh on Johnson over the years, I have to admit he does have the talent for a sixth man role, but hasn’t been able to make that jump. He averaged 13.7 points per game that year, but Crawford had 14.2 points per game and 2.3 assists as well. Crawford made more of an impact for his team and helped his teammates in the process. Johnson can be that guy, but he hasn’t proven himself 100 percent yet. While a great player on the second unit, he needs to be more aggressive and have a more impactful year; something I do think is coming soon.

Johnson: Considering he only received a single, second-place vote, I wouldn’t say he was snubbed. Sure, 2016-17 was Johnson’s breakout season, and the one that gave faith that his upcoming contract was a worthwhile venture. But Johnson was wholly outpaced in terms of raw production, and for these awards, numbers outrank everything else. Lou Williams can testify to that.

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