James Johnson Discussion

[Joey]

I remember when people around the forum were saying how we probably could have gotten a better player than JJ with the 28th pick ...

[Nilanka]

If Johnson has indeed improved his shot to where he is a consistent spot up shooter able to hit the 3, his game will improve by leaps and bounds. I thought that he was not a terrible defender last year, and given a more structured approach he could blossom on that end of the floor as well.

Couldn't agree more. With a little focused attention from the coaches (something he probably didn't get in Chicago), Johnson could be our biggest surprise this season.

[stretch]

I remember when people around the forum were saying how we probably could have gotten a better player than JJ with the 28th pick ...

It will interesting to see how Norris Cole or anybody drafted after pick # 28 for that matter, stacks up, career wise with JJ when we look back on things a few years from now with our 20/20 hindsight vision.

[SuperRaptor]

I remember when people around the forum were saying how we probably could have gotten a better player than JJ with the 28th pick ...

I wasnt one of those people.

[mcHAPPY]

I remember when people around the forum were saying how we probably could have gotten a better player than JJ with the 28th pick ...

I was a fan of the trade at the time and still am.

These are the guys I think it will be interesting to see the careers of who were picked after 28:
Singler, Honeycutt, Tyler, Lee, Leslie, and Selby

The other thing to keep in mind was JJ was a 16th pick two years earlier.

[Tim W.]

While being able to hit the three would definitely be nice, I'd rather see him be able to consistently hit the 15 footer. And he also needs to work on his decision-making. Improvements in those two areas will turn him into a legit player.

[Joey]

Unless Demar comes out and shows the ability to hit the 3, then I wouldn't mind seeing JJ take a few more if he can hit them.
Demars got the 15 footer range down pat already.

Also, I think ALL players need to work on their decision-making to some extent or another, but for the most part, JJ never forced the issue while making some of those great passes, or while bringing the ball up himself.

I don't see his decision-making as a concern at all. He's a very smart player in my opinion.

[TSN3]

I hope he's not too rattled if BC decides to get a legit starting 3 to play in front of him.

JJ's got a solid two-way game and he really seemed to break out a bit after the trade, but it also seems like the starting 3 spot is one of the areas that'll be addressed through free agency. So hopefully having to earn the starting spot only pushes him even harder to improve his game and doesn't set him back to his Chicago days.

I'm pulling for JJ and hope he becomes a solid player for the Raps, but I'm also hoping for BC to get an experienced 3-point shooting starting SF, so here's to hoping that both are possible.

[jeff_hostetler]

While being able to hit the three would definitely be nice, I'd rather see him be able to consistently hit the 15 footer. And he also needs to work on his decision-making. Improvements in those two areas will turn him into a legit player.

Decision making will come with time. He's still a young'un. It's one reason I like the Casey hiring so much. Great coach for the young team the Raps are.

One unlooked at reason he needs to develop the 3 is because it's the teams biggest offensive weakness, and he's the one most able to work on it. All the other players have more pressing needs than he than to develop the 3 ball. Bayless needs to work on passing and pacing. Derozan needs to learn to dribble while being able to keep one eye on his teammates. JJ fits in very nicely as the spot up 3 option, so that's where I see him being most useful on offense.

My dream scenario for him is actually as a point-forward who plays Josh Smith like on the defensive end. This would create more opportunities for Bayless in his real comfort areas as well.

[Joey]

Decision making will come with time. He's still a young'un. It's one reason I like the Casey hiring so much. Great coach for the young team the Raps are.

One unlooked at reason he needs to develop the 3 is because it's the teams biggest offensive weakness, and he's the one most able to work on it. All the other players have more pressing needs than he than to develop the 3 ball. Bayless needs to work on passing and pacing. Derozan needs to learn to dribble while being able to keep one eye on his teammates. JJ fits in very nicely as the spot up 3 option, so that's where I see him being most useful on offense.

My dream scenario for him is actually as a point-forward who plays Josh Smith like on the defensive end. This would create more opportunities for Bayless in his real comfort areas as well.

Nailed it.
Well said Jeff.

[Tim W.]

Decision making will come with time. He's still a young'un. It's one reason I like the Casey hiring so much. Great coach for the young team the Raps are.

One unlooked at reason he needs to develop the 3 is because it's the teams biggest offensive weakness, and he's the one most able to work on it. All the other players have more pressing needs than he than to develop the 3 ball. Bayless needs to work on passing and pacing. Derozan needs to learn to dribble while being able to keep one eye on his teammates. JJ fits in very nicely as the spot up 3 option, so that's where I see him being most useful on offense.

My dream scenario for him is actually as a point-forward who plays Josh Smith like on the defensive end. This would create more opportunities for Bayless in his real comfort areas as well.

ON the team, as presently constructed, a three would definitely be nice. But as long as you can take a quick 15 footer with accuracy, then you'll space the floor. I agree that a 3 would be great, but a 15 footer would even be better since he does have the ball handing to put the ball down on the floor. A guy like Bruce Bowen needed the three because he literally couldn't do anything else offensively. Asking him to create was like asking Herman Cain to give his thoughts on foreign policy.

And I think the number one priority for DeRozan is defense. If all he does is improve that, I'll be happy.

[jeff_hostetler]

ON the team, as presently constructed, a three would definitely be nice. But as long as you can take a quick 15 footer with accuracy, then you'll space the floor. I agree that a 3 would be great, but a 15 footer would even be better since he does have the ball handing to put the ball down on the floor. A guy like Bruce Bowen needed the three because he literally couldn't do anything else offensively. Asking him to create was like asking Herman Cain to give his thoughts on foreign policy.

And I think the number one priority for DeRozan is defense. If all he does is improve that, I'll be happy.

Semantics. James Johnson needs to be able to shoot the basketball.

And yes, #1 priority for Derozan is defense. I was, though, talking offense.

[Hugmenot]

It will interesting to see how Norris Cole or anybody drafted after pick # 28 for that matter, stacks up, career wise with JJ when we look back on things a few years from now with our 20/20 hindsight vision.

The odds are excellent that 2 or 3 players drafted #28 or later will be better players than James Johnson over the course of their careers.

I am not suggesting the Raptors should have kept their pick; just that talent sometimes develop in unexpecting ways especially when we are talking about 19 or 20 years old who are not fully developed. What I suspect BryCo meant is he did not see any individual potential late first rounder or second rounder being likely enough to have a significantly better outlook than James Johnson and thus, JJ was the better and safer bet.

[Apollo]

James Johnson Gave "Peace" a Chance

And if Raptors small forward James Johnson was to learn anything from them this past summer, he had one of the best teachers in the game to go up against almost every day.

Metta World Peace, the Los Angeles Laker formerly known as Ron Artest, provided the perfect foil for Johnson, who tried to pick up a trick of the trade or two during those informal runs.

“We went at it,” Johnson said of his summer head-butting sessions with one of the most intense small forwards in the league. “I learned a lot from Ron Artest this summer.”

Johnson, Toronto’s incumbent starting small forward — and the only guy currently on the roster who plays that position — said he most appreciated the all-around nature of World Peace’s game and what he could learn at both ends of the court.

The two are similar in size, somewhere around 6-foot-7, kind of thick and muscular, but World Peace’s vast edge in experience allowed Johnson to learn a thing or two that Johnson hopes will help him on both offence and defence.

“He plays extremely tough defence and he’s also a force at the offensive end,” Johnson said after he, Jose Calderon, Ed Davis and Solomon Alabi got a pre-camp workout in at the Air Canada Centre on Monday.

“He’s not the fastest guy but defence-wise it’s just hard to get around him.”

Johnson would appear to figure greatly in Toronto’s plans for the coming shortened NBA season. General manager Bryan Colangelo isn’t expected to make any huge splashes in an underwhelming pool of free-agent small forwards and the job would seem to be Johnson’s alone right now.

If the third-year product of Wake Forest — obtained from Chicago midway through last season for an inconsequential draft pick — can give new coach Dwane Casey a consistently good wing defensive presence, it will be welcomed.

And if World Peace imparted any of his tricks, it will make Johnson a more significant factor.

“It’s what I wanted to know and I needed to know,” Johnson said of the near-daily scrimmages that often included the likes of Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan and Kobe Bryant of the Lakers.

Source: The Star

DeRozan and Johnson got to play against two of the very best defenders in the game all summer. That's huge.

[Joey]

Nice find Apollo.

Very excited to see what JJ brings to the team with a full Training and the confidence that comes in knowing he'll have a spot in the Starting Lineup.