What’s up with Joe Johnson?
There is a 64% chance this shot didn’t go in.
When the Brooklyn Nets swung a deal for “superstar” Joe Johnson, my expectations were, of course, tempered. Yes, he is exciting, and yes, he is a 6 time All-Star, but he is definitely not worth his contract and is heavily overrated by “Yay! Points!” However, something I would not call him is terrible.
However, this season, Joe Johnson is terrible. I tried to come up with a better phrasing for that, but I really can’t; Johnson has been horrible. After Patrick allowed readers to change a player’s position in Comparison Engine on The NBA Geek, I instantly checked how Johnson would have performed had he played SG in 11-12.
| POS | Min | WP48 | PoP48 | Wins | PTS | DRB | ORB | REB | AST | TO | BLK | STL | PF | |
| Johnson | SG | 2127 | .150 | 1.6 | 6.6 | 25.5 | 3.8 | 1.2 | 5.0 | 5.2 | 2.6 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 1.7 |
| Average SG | SG | 1229 | .099 | 0.0 | 2.5 | 20.2 | 4.5 | 1.1 | 5.5 | 4.2 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 3.1 |
| FG% | 2FG% | 3FG% | FT% | eFG% | TS% | FGA | 3FGA | PPS | FTA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson | 45.4% | 48.9% | 38.8% | 84.9% | 52.1% | 55.7% | 21.0 | 7.3 | 1.21 | 4.2 |
| Average SG | 42.7% | 46.2% | 35.5% | 79.7% | 48.5% | 52.5% | 17.4 | 5.7 | 1.16 | 4.2 |
As expected, Johnson would’ve been a way more productive shooting guard, his TS% of 55.7 was among the best among all SGs last season. So I was optimistic; a .150 WP48 doesn’t scream 20 million dollars, but hey, it beats Anthony Morrow and Deshawn Stevenson.
So what happened this year? Basically, Joe can’t hit a shot. He can’t hit open shots (the guy is missing like 3 of these a game). He can’t hit contested shots. He isn’t scoring off of isolations, he isn’t doing much better when he’s used as a spot up shooter, and he’s barely involved with the offense for long periods of time. All this has added up to a 47.6 TS% through 10 games, a solid 5 points under the average shooting guard.
| POS | Min | WP48 | PoP48 | Wins | PTS | DRB | ORB | REB | AST | TO | BLK | STL | PF | |
| Johnson | SG | 334 | 0.048 | -1.6 | 0.4 | 19.2 | 3.2 | 1.0 | 4.3 | 5.2 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.7 |
| Average SG | SG | 225 | .099 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 21.5 | 4.7 | 0.9 | 5.6 | 4.5 | 2.9 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 3.4 |
| FG% | 2FG% | 3FG% | FT% | eFG% | TS% | FGA | 3FGA | PPS | FTA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson | 36.4% | 35.9% | 37.3% | 83.9% | 43.0% | 47.6% | 18.5 | 6.6 | 1.04 | 4.0 |
| Average SG | 43.2% | 46.1% | 37.8% | 81.8% | 49.8% | 54.5% | 17.6 | 6.2 | 1.22 | 4.8 |
Ultimately, the Nets can’t succeed if Johnson is struggling the way that he is. Already, the Nets have to hope and pray that Brook Lopez and Deron Williams stay productive; that list cannot be expanded to 3 starters. The Nets traded for Johnson as a way to get Deron to stay, something I was on board with. But if those two are getting easily outperformed and smashed by Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, what was the point? I want to say that Johnson will recover, but terrible shooting for a post prime player with a max contract in 10 games isn’t exactly small sample size and reminds me of a certain someone.
Side note: what’s with New York teams becoming the epitome of how not to spend your money in the NBA? As soon as the Knicks started to wise up, the Nets became a big spender….on mediocre players.
As a fan of a team that has missed the playoffs for the last 5 seasons, I am still excited by the prospects of this team. However, if Johnson can’t at least maintain average production, this team will ironically become the 2010-2012 New York Knicks, first round disappointments, defeats, and drama.
-Vivek