Shooting unlocks new dimension for Johnson, but it’s not why he’s back in Heat’s rotation
The Miami Heat did all it could to have a rare home loss on Monday. The Heat needed a furious comeback in the final minutes of regulation, then tried to throw away its 118-113 win in the last seconds of overtime. An inbound pass went right to the Sacarmento Kings, and Bogdan Bogdanovic had a good look at a game-tying three-pointer from the left wing.
James Johnson had already saved Miami on offense with a 10-point fourth quarter and then he saved the Heat on defense. He was at midcourt when Miami gave the ball away, and he was back at the free-throw line when Bogdanovic set up from the right wing. As the clock ticked inside five seconds and a pass headed from the corner to the wing, Johnson cut back to the three-point line, skied for the ball, and got his hand on it to preserve the win at AmericanAirlines Arena.
“I block threes,” Johnson said with a smile.
Johnson has had a complicated season. It began late after he failed to meet the Heat’s conditioning requirements heading into training camp, and it meant he was out of the rotation to start the season, playing in just six of Miami’s first 35 games. The last few weeks have been a resurgence, though, and the 32-year-old has played in seven of the Heat’s last eight. It all culminated with his best performance of the season when he paired his usual defensive effort with a dynamic offensive performance to help fend off an upset.
Coach Erik Spoelstra said it was the complete effort that he expects from Johnson when the forward is at his best, but Johnson was even better than his best. Johnson’s 22 points were his most in a game since 2018, and most of them came in the fourth and overtime, when the Heat (30-13) started running offense through Johnson in the pick-and-roll. With Jimmy Butler sidelined by right hip soreness and Bam Adebayo struggling, Johnson finished 4 of 5 from three-point range and now boasts the best three-point percentage on the team at 48.4% — more than 14 percentage points better than he has ever shot in a season.
“He was unbelievable,” guard Goran Dragic said Monday. “He was huge for us and you can see when somebody’s out like Jimmy, we don’t use excuses. Next guy needs to gear up, and JJ was that for us.”
Johnson has spent most of the first half of the season working behind the scenes, preparing to chip in whenever called upon. Johnson never pouted about playing time and recently had an upbeat meeting with team president Pat Riley.
A night like Monday, Johnson said, still isn’t as satisfying as it could be, though. Two of Johnson’s best performances this month have come with Butler sidelined. He wants to become more than just a backup plan when the star wing is out.
“I want to be able to do that with them guys out there,” Johnson said. “Them guys are going to play a lot of minutes, and in order to play with them you’ve got to play within your role and within your skill level.”
Butler’s absence Monday was due to wear and tear, so there’s a good chance he will be back on the court Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. when the Heat continues a five-game homestand against the Washington Wizards.
On offense, Johnson has traditionally been at his best as a secondary playmaker. In 2017, Miami finished the season 30-11 by running a bevy of pick-and-roll plays with Johnson screening, getting the ball, and either attacking the rim or making an extra pass to keep the offense humming. He averaged 3.6 assists per game, then 3.8 the next season.
He proved Monday he still has the capability when Butler isn’t available. His shooting gives him a role in the offense even when it’s running through Butler and Adebayo.
“I’ve been shooting the three well,” Johnson said. “I trust my work, and I’m going to keep putting them up with confidence until they come with a different scouting report.”
Spoelstra downplayed the significance of Johnson’s shooting Monday, though. The coach was more excited to see Johnson’s six rebounds, three assists, and two blocks plus excellent defense with Butler out.
Those are the plays that have prompted Spoelstra to refer to Johnson as his “Swiss Army knife” in the past. They’re why he’ll probably be on the court against the Wizards (14-28) even if Butler is back.
“We’re just asking him to be himself,” Spoelstra said. “We don’t have to obsess over one aspect of his game or the other. Everybody wants the shiny new whatever that may be. He had his impact on this game the way James Johnson should and that’s across the board making winning plays on both ends of the court. His production should not be defined on whether the three ball is going in or not. He made a lot of other big, winning plays and that’s the only thing that matters.”
This story was originally published January 21, 2020 at 11:51 AM.