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  • Even if I ignore the scoring, I was impressed with JJ tonight. He was all over the place, grabbing rebounds, picking up steals, drawing charges, blocking/challenging shots...just a great all-around game.

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    • What is it with players that they can be so on one night and so off another. If you could bottle that "focus" and sell it you be a millionaire in about 35 seconds.

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      • Puffer wrote: View Post
        What is it with players that they can be so on one night and so off another. If you could bottle that "focus" and sell it you be a millionaire in about 35 seconds.
        It is the difference between NBA star and NBA journeyman.
        Twitter @WJ_FINDLAY

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        • James Johnson And His New Shot

          In the post game interview yesterday after the raptors beat the Suns, James Johnson was asked if his new found confidence shooting his jump shot was as a result of Andrea Bargnani coming back to the lineup. His response was that it had nothing to do with Andrea and everything to do with the work that he has been putting in with Coach Tom Sterner before games and after practices. He says that he has completing changed his jump shot.

          It is evident watching any raptors pregame show when they interview someone from the floor where the game will be played in a few minutes, you will always see James Johnson putting up shots in the background. This is showing up in his numbers. He went 7 for 12 last night getting 18 pts and 10 reb. a couple of games ago he had a career high 23 points. Another thing that I have noticed with James Johnson is that he plays better as a starter, last year when we started him right away it gave him confidence, I see him getting more confident now that the raptors have inserted him into the starting lineup as well.

          As for his defense. I think he has the chance to be a special player defensively in this league. He has a knack for blocking shots, he is strong and can defend even the biggest SF's in the league, he has quickness, and he can rebound. He just needs to stop fouling jump shooters and he is good to go. I like what he brings to the raptors on the defensive side of the ball, and if he can bring some consistency to his game (10-12 pts a game) it will make a huge difference. I see him being a key piece with the raptors moving forward, any thoughts?
          "Defense wins championships."

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          • SuperRaptor wrote: View Post
            In the post game interview yesterday after the raptors beat the Suns, James Johnson was asked if his new found confidence shooting his jump shot was as a result of Andrea Bargnani coming back to the lineup. His response was that it had nothing to do with Andrea and everything to do with the work that he has been putting in with Coach Tom Sterner before games and after practices. He says that he has completing changed his jump shot.

            It is evident watching any raptors pregame show when they interview someone from the floor where the game will be played in a few minutes, you will always see James Johnson putting up shots in the background. This is showing up in his numbers. He went 7 for 12 last night getting 18 pts and 10 reb. a couple of games ago he had a career high 23 points. Another thing that I have noticed with James Johnson is that he plays better as a starter, last year when we started him right away it gave him confidence, I see him getting more confident now that the raptors have inserted him into the starting lineup as well.

            As for his defense. I think he has the chance to be a special player defensively in this league. He has a knack for blocking shots, he is strong and can defend even the biggest SF's in the league, he has quickness, and he can rebound. He just needs to stop fouling jump shooters and he is good to go. I like what he brings to the raptors on the defensive side of the ball, and if he can bring some consistency to his game (10-12 pts a game) it will make a huge difference. I see him being a key piece with the raptors moving forward, any thoughts?
            I agree with everything you've written with the exception of him starting. He can earn a very good contract if he embraces being an energy player and defensive stopper off the bench. The closest comparison I can think of in 30 seconds of thought is Tony Allen in Boston.

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            • If he can maintain any semblance of consistency with his mid-range jumper, I think he can be a starter on this team. We don't need "scorers" at every position. As long as he can keep defenses honest (i.e. the same way Charles Oakley was able to do by sticking open jumpers), then Johnson can easily be our starting SF going forward.

              PS - I really like the idea of using Johnson to guard opposing teams' best wing player to start games, whether SG or SF.

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              • Yeah, he can definitely be a starter if his mid-range game becomes consistent, but even if he's not a starter, he's still very valuable for th energy and D he brings. I like hearing that he's rebuilding his shot, because it was truly ugly last year. And if he's seeing results this quickly, that bodes well for his improvement, because rebuilding shot mechanics is a really, really tough thing to do.

                His defensive tools really are his calling card, though. I can't think of too many SFs in the league who can block shots like he does. He's quick enough and smart enough to know when he can shift to help without leaving his guy wide open -- that's defensive instinct that you can't teach (eg. Bargs, who is working his tail off to hedge on shooters, but still seems to hold the hedge too long and can't always make it back to his guy in time). He does sometimes close out too hard and fouls jump shooters, but so does this whole team right now. I think that's the next big defensive adjustment that needs to come -- they're all doing what Casey is telling them by not allowing any uncontested shots, but because they're still learning how to help and recover, they're often late closing out and end up diving at, or worse, past the shooter rather than closing out under control. I think it will come, and it will make a BIG difference -- fewer fouls, more truly contested jump shots, lower opp FG%, more run-outs on O.

                I really like Johnson -- work ethic, attitude, intelligence -- so I'm a little biased in hoping he can continue to show something. The team also really, really needs a 3 who can do something, anything to positively affect the outcome of a game...
                Definition of Statistics: The science of producing unreliable facts from reliable figures.

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                • SuperRaptor wrote: View Post
                  In the post game interview yesterday after the raptors beat the Suns, James Johnson was asked if his new found confidence shooting his jump shot was as a result of Andrea Bargnani coming back to the lineup. His response was that it had nothing to do with Andrea and everything to do with the work that he has been putting in with Coach Tom Sterner before games and after practices. He says that he has completing changed his jump shot.

                  It is evident watching any raptors pregame show when they interview someone from the floor where the game will be played in a few minutes, you will always see James Johnson putting up shots in the background. This is showing up in his numbers. He went 7 for 12 last night getting 18 pts and 10 reb. a couple of games ago he had a career high 23 points. Another thing that I have noticed with James Johnson is that he plays better as a starter, last year when we started him right away it gave him confidence, I see him getting more confident now that the raptors have inserted him into the starting lineup as well.

                  As for his defense. I think he has the chance to be a special player defensively in this league. He has a knack for blocking shots, he is strong and can defend even the biggest SF's in the league, he has quickness, and he can rebound. He just needs to stop fouling jump shooters and he is good to go. I like what he brings to the raptors on the defensive side of the ball, and if he can bring some consistency to his game (10-12 pts a game) it will make a huge difference. I see him being a key piece with the raptors moving forward, any thoughts?
                  The only thing I'd add is that, while an excellent weak-side help defender, he needs to make better decisions as to when to help and when not to. He has been burned numerous times, stuck in no-man's land between his man and the man he is heading toward to provide weak-side help. Gets carried away and goes to the well once too often, often in key situations. But that should improve with time.

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                  • Matt52 wrote: View Post
                    I agree with everything you've written with the exception of him starting. He can earn a very good contract if he embraces being an energy player and defensive stopper off the bench. The closest comparison I can think of in 30 seconds of thought is Tony Allen in Boston.
                    +1
                    @sweatpantsjer

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                    • Matt52 wrote: View Post
                      I agree with everything you've written with the exception of him starting. He can earn a very good contract if he embraces being an energy player and defensive stopper off the bench. The closest comparison I can think of in 30 seconds of thought is Tony Allen in Boston.
                      The biggest issue Johnson has is that he has too many brain cramps. Jack Armstrong said last night on one possession that he's "too loose" with his game sometimes. That's exactly his problem. If he could clean that up (or even limit it like he did last night to one or two stupid plays) he will stick around the NBA. I look at a guy like Matt Barnes for example. No reason JJ couldn't find a niche like that by playing solid defense, rebounding, and having the odd game where he puts up points.

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                      • If we draft a SF i don't think JJ will be starting next season. Maybe a couple of games but like matt said, we need his energy off the bench. Come in and play some good D and stick some jumpers, block a couple shots. Thats all we need

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                        • I still have mixed feeling about JJ and specifically his defence. We see him make a lot of nice plays, blocks and steals. But a lot of the time when I watch I see him leave his man to chase down the double teams or just leave his man and play out of position. This leads to most of his great plays, but more often then not his man gets the ball, and either he scores, or we need to someone else moves to cover him and their man scores.

                          He has great highlight reel plays on D, but a lot of the time it costs us easy buckets.

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                          • slaw wrote: View Post
                            The biggest issue Johnson has is that he has too many brain cramps. Jack Armstrong said last night on one possession that he's "too loose" with his game sometimes. That's exactly his problem. If he could clean that up (or even limit it like he did last night to one or two stupid plays) he will stick around the NBA. I look at a guy like Matt Barnes for example. No reason JJ couldn't find a niche like that by playing solid defense, rebounding, and having the odd game where he puts up points.
                            I actually heard that part too. I think one of his problems too is he complains a little bit too much sometimes, and he has this swagger like "you aint better than me" type thing. I think its good, but i think you have to establish yourself first before you act like that. I think when he first became a raptor, he was a Tony Allen type player (agree with Matt). But IMO, he's slowly moving up to a Battier/Pietrus level, good defensively and can sink an open shot. If he can get the shot mechanic down, he can be a Rudy Gay type player (minus the slam-dunk capability).

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                            • Hello wrote: View Post
                              I still have mixed feeling about JJ and specifically his defence. We see him make a lot of nice plays, blocks and steals. But a lot of the time when I watch I see him leave his man to chase down the double teams or just leave his man and play out of position. This leads to most of his great plays, but more often then not his man gets the ball, and either he scores, or we need to someone else moves to cover him and their man scores.

                              He has great highlight reel plays on D, but a lot of the time it costs us easy buckets.
                              Ive actually noticed that too, but i think things like that get ironed out with team chemistry, training camp and practice time. If JJ leaks out to help, another Raps player should be able to cover JJ's man and help him out.

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                              • NoPropsneeded wrote: View Post
                                If we draft a SF i don't think JJ will be starting next season. Maybe a couple of games but like matt said, we need his energy off the bench. Come in and play some good D and stick some jumpers, block a couple shots. Thats all we need
                                And if my mother had a dick she would be my father...

                                We have no idea who will be drafted, where we will pick, who will be available. Other than the 4 spot right now, it looks like we could use a future starter at all positions. I am holding out hope that Jonas is a legit NBA player, but he as yet to play a game in the league yet.
                                Twitter @WJ_FINDLAY

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