Amir Johnson Needs to be a Three Point Threat

http://hardwoodhoudini.com/2015/09/09/amir-johnson-needs-to-be-a-three-point-threat/



Amir Johnson Needs to be a Three Point Threat
by Joshua Bateman 1h ago




Despite going into free agency expecting fireworks, the Boston Celtics‘ prized acquisition wound up being Amir Johnson. The only problem is that not only was power forward already one of the deepest positions on the team, but they also acquired David Lee in order to dump Gerald Wallace‘s contract.

Now, the Celtics are left with a collection of power forwards, none of which have any kind of defined role on the team. Jonas Jerebko may be the only one who has no shot at the starting lineup, but the rest of them are going to be in an intense battle.




If Amir Johnson is going to surpass both Jared Sullinger and Lee then he is going to have to enhance two key components of his game. In order to surpass Lee, Johnson is going to need reliability. Even if Lee is in the declining years of his career he is still going to be a reliable finisher and do not forget that he is one year removed from his all star form.

Lee always does a great job at the rim with just two seasons finishing under 65% and he is even more impressive in the mid range game as he shot 56% between 10 and 16 feet last year. Lee knows what he is capable of doing and he will be able to capitalize on a lot of opportunities created by Brad Stevens’ system.

Lee has had a much more established and respected career than Amir Johnson thus far and that reliability and trust will give him an edge. However, even if Johnson is not quite as established, that does not mean he will never be a better finisher.

Johnson may not be as consistent in the mid range game but he can go toe to toe with anybody at the rim. Jonson has shot above 70% at the rim in three of his last four seasons and he should be able to add to that total in Stevens’ system. Johnson will be able to enjoy many more easy finishes than years past and there is no reason to doubt his reliability in the paint.




Throw in that Johnson is 4 years younger than Lee and most signs are pointing to Johnson being a more capable finisher. Johnson should be able to handle a larger work load and there should be less risk of him breaking down physically.

Even if Johsnon can prove to be a more reliable finisher than Lee he will still have to surpass Sullinger. Sullinger is no where near as trusted as Lee but he has a much more dynamic offensive arsenal. Sullinger is the only one of the three that has used the three point shot as a main weapon his entire career. The problem is that Sullingr has not shot the three well enough yet.

Even though Sullinger has shot 208 and 184 threes in his last two seasons he has never shot them at a rate above 30%. That being said, Johnson has never attempted more than 66 threes as it has never been a large aspect of his game. Even if Johnson has a lot of ground to make up in three point shooting the potential remains there.

First of all, Johnson does not have the hardest standards to pass. It is possible that Sullinger will drastically increase his three point percentage this year but based on seasons past, it may not be difficult at all for Johnson to eclipse Sullinger’s three point shooting mark.

It is in a very small sample size but Johnson hit 19 of his 46 attempts from beyond the arc last season and that gave him a percentage of 41.3. The even better news for Johnson is that Boston is a great place to work on efficient three point shooting. Stevens loves bigs that can stretch the floor, which should give Johnson all the opportunities he needs. Tie that in with an offensive system with great ball movement that creates all kinds of open shots and Johnson is in a great position to expand his game.

If Johnson can manage to add the three point shot to his arsenal then he will already be a better option than Sullinger. Sullinger has struggled shooting the ball and unless he takes a huge leap this season he will not be able to compete with Johnson in the paint.

The only edge that Sullinger has over Lee and Johnson is his three point shooting but with how Sevens likes to use his bigs there is a good chance that will change.

Johnson was the Celtics’ big free agent signing but with how deep they are at the position he runs the risk of not even starting. Fortunately, Johnson has plenty of potential to become the best power forward on the Celtics and he can go a long ways in solidifying their starting unit.



bob
MY NOTE:  This is the 2nd, if not 3rd, article by Mr. Bateman that I thought was poorly researched and argued.

First of all, Amir's 3pt fg% last year was 41%.  He took very few, only .6/game, 46 for the whole season, but he can hit them.  What's more, he's better from straight away than from the corners, even though the corners are thought to be an easier shot.  Corner shots also leave you deep in the back court and makes it hard for you to get back on defense.



Furthermore, why does he have to shoot 3s like Jerebko?  What's wrong with having Jerebko being out at the 3pt line, as a swing, and have Amir down low?  Why does EVERYBODY have to shoot 3s?  I like his shot distribution the way it is.  Do you see how many of his shots are at or near the rim?  76% of his shots are at the rim and over 90% if you include the shots that are in the paint but beyond the dotted line. That sure works for me.  And, oh yeah, the last time I looked 41% is a damn sight better than Sully's 28% from 3.

We had multiple weaknesses last year, covered up a lot by Brad's genius for figuring out how to get the most out of what he has.  We had a problem with shooters (specifically our lack of them) not opening up the middle for our bigs, lack of offensive power in the paint near the rim (exacerbated when Sully went outside to take a 3) which was made worse by our lack of perimeter shooters and lack of defensive presence in the paint near the rim.  Now, heading into camp (assuming Danny is going to wait to see what he really has.  Don't bet on it), we have upgraded our shooting with RJ Sniper and another year of IT learning Brad's system and we have added offensive punch near the rim with Amir and Lee.  We still are looking for that defensive presence in the middle.  Ok, two down, one to go.  It's a big one, no pun intended, but just one.

Danny isn't a fool.  Neither is Brad.  They knew what they had when free agent open season began and they went after Amir as soon as the balloon went up.  Maybe Danny didn't know about the opportunity to get Lee, but I don't think he would have hesitated to pull that trigger, Amir or no Amir.  Lee is just an upgrade over Wallace, period.  I always am leery of using the "he always kills us, we should get him" philosophy because just because he kills us doesn't mean he'll kill anybody else for us.  I still think Amir will work quie well for us.  He is a tough defender.  He is athletic and has a lively body (think Kenneth Faried).  On the offensive end he is a great pick-and-roller (as is Lee).  I think Rozier, with his crossover and speed, will benefit from both of those guys as will Mahcus Smaht.

I'll bet Joshua Bateman disappears as soon as the regular sports writers return from their summer hiatus.  Thanks for giving us something to talk about during August and early September, but don't hurt yourself rushing back.


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I am not going to judge this Bateman guy, but I do disagree with his thoughts that for Johnson to make a contribution that means anything he needs to become a volume 3 point shooter.

In my view, the Cs have enough guys who are more than willing to take three point shots already. Some of them should take them and some should not take them or at least not very many.

If Johnson can bang around inside to complement the other three point shooters,shoot well from mid range, grab some key rebounds, drawing some personal fouls and still not hurt his defensive element, I probably do not want him shooting too many threes.

He is yet another guy on this year's team who will be playing for a new contract during the year. I love how Ainge has so many guys in this similar position because it can only stimulate more and more internal competition. With hardly any guys with any thing that resembles a long term contract each player will be more likely to want to play to his best and play the best for his team.

Totally agree. This writer has nothing to say, and wrote a knee jerk article based on the popularity of the three in the modern nba.total hack