Amir our advanced-stat all-star

[planetmars]

Great article about Amir on ESPN:

http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2014...oronto-raptors

Some quotes:

But now the topic at hand is this: Johnson is worth a ton to the Raptors, who tied their first-round playoff series with the Nets at two games apiece Sunday night in Brooklyn. At just 26 years old, he's never made an All-Star team -- hasn't even come close. Not once in his nine seasons has he averaged more than 11 points or 7.5 rebounds per game. Sometimes, he doesn't even start. Yet there is a large sect of league followers that consider Johnson among the most valuable, efficient and irreplaceable players in the NBA.

But Johnson has become indispensable to the Raptors. His most glowing statistical review comes through a measure called real plus-minus, a figure that gauges the impact a player has on his team's offense and defense when he's on the floor, accounting for the play of his teammates and the quality of his opponent. Among players that average at least 25 minutes per game, Johnson places ninth in the NBA in real plus-minus. Seven of the eight players ahead of him have been All-Stars.

Dig deeper and you'll find Johnson is among the league's very best at defending opponents at the rim, according to NBA.com, even though his block numbers (1.1 per game this season) do not reflect it.

When Johnson does shoot, he does it well. He still hit half his field goals in Games 1 and 3, but in Toronto's two playoff wins over Brooklyn, Johnson has connected on 71 percent of his shots. For the postseason, Johnson is again among the league's elite in effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage, stats that account for the value of 3-pointers and free throws.

... this article exposes our secret little gem in the NBA. Would hate to see him ever go.

[stooley]

just saw that, love it.

[Jclaw]

great article. probably one of the first ones that doesn't mention Colangelo giving him a "crazy" contract.

[3inthekeon]

Thanks for the heads up, especially cause I'm a huge Amir fan. Very interesting article, not just about Amir, but the Raptors belief in and use of advanced stats.

[Pill]

They had a story about Amir on Inside Stuff this past weekend. It was mentioned that Amir wanted to make Toronto his place of residence after his playing career is over. Hope he sticks around.