The Miami HEAT were lost in a fog of turnovers, fouls, and bad shooting early in the 1st quarter of their matchup against the Indiana Pacers, until James Johnson was inserted into the lineup. Johnson’s impact was felt immediately as his versatility and energy on defense lifted the HEAT on several occasions throughout the game and was just enough to help secure a 95-89 victory on Wednesday night.
Johnson was very efficient, shooting 6-9 for 14 points, 6 assists, and led all players on both teams with a plus/minus (+-) of +16. He energized the crowd with some dribble attacks and LeBron-esque finishes, and it made me wonder if this 6-9 250 pound forward is getting close to reaching his true potential.
HEAT culture is something that either crushes players or turns them into diamonds. Johnson, to his credit, seems to be adapting well as he heaped praise on Coach Spoelstra for his decision-making and approach to basketball. Johnson shared the following with BSO during post game interviews:
His comments are a far cry from previous versions of James Johnson that bounced around the NBA between four teams during his first nine seasons, before landing with the HEAT this year. Johnson expresses a selfless, sacrificial mentality with a focus on winning and improving, which is a cornerstone of the HEAT way. Johnson’s size and versatility gave him tremendous upside coming out of Wake Forest, but it never fully materialized early in his career. Now, under the rigors of the HEAT program, Johnson’s game is beginning to flourish as he is averaging career highs in points (10.3), rebounds (4.6), and assists (2.1) in his 10th year. Johnson’s 1-year, $4 million dollar deal is basically a “prove it” contract, but the HEAT may have bigger plans for Johnson according to Erik Spoelstra. Spoelstra made the following post-game comments when asked about Johnson’s impact to the team.
“He’s gaining confidence, he’s in there right now working out in the weight room. Our first discussion was to commit to be the best basketball player you could be. And who is that? Who do you want to be? It’s open, it’s a blank canvas. You have to commit to the work and commit to the conditioning and the entire Miami HEAT process, it’s not for everybody. But for someone like him that has embraced it wholeheartedly, you are seeing the fruits of all that work. There is still another level to go with his conditioning and his body and we will be open to wherever that takes it.”
From Spoelstra’s quote it’s clear that the HEAT see value in Johnson and are actively working to mold him into something more than what he was with previous teams. Whether Johnson becomes a trade asset later in the season, or a part of their future remains to be seen, but it’s Johnson’s acceptance of the HEAT way is what is important here. LeBron’s eventual acceptance of HEAT culture allowed him to reach a level that produced some of the best basketball of his career. If Johnson can somehow duplicate that on a smaller scale, his value to the HEAT and to himself as a free agent, will increase dramatically.
