James Johnson Discussion

[Raptor4Ever]

I remember Sonny Weems had an stretch of very impressive games last year too and fans here why crying that why BC did not sign him over the summer and ... We all saw how that turned out.

Look at the front page article and what the Bulls guys said about JJ. He is playing freely in a crappy team. It is normal for him to score and raise his numbers.

Put him back into a real team and his bad mistakes,high turn overs and ... will be become highlighted again and he will be nailed to the bench.

We already have one scrub ( Amir) with the paycheck of real NBA starter in this league. Lets not make JJ , a 2nd Amir.

All that being said, JJ WILL be a solid SF coming off the bench.

[Apollo]

I remember Sonny Weems had an stretch of very impressive games last year too and fans here why crying that why BC did not sign him over the summer and ... We all saw how that turned out.

Look at the front page article and what the Bulls guys said about JJ. He is playing freely in a crappy team. It is normal for him to score and raise his numbers.

Put him back into a real team and his bad mistakes,high turn overs and ... will be become highlighted again and he will be nailed to the bench.

We already have one scrub ( Amir) with the paycheck of real NBA starter in this league. Lets not make JJ , a 2nd Amir.

All that being said, JJ WILL be a solid SF coming off the bench.

I remember Noah and Thibodeau coming out and commending JJ for his positive attitude and wished him to get the chance he deserved to prove himself. When the trade happened I remember the message being that the Bulls were so deep that they didn't have the minutes for him to learn on the floor.

And most of the praise for him isn't about his meager 9PPG since coming here but I will touch on your theory. Crappy teams who have crappy offenses allow for players to pad offensive stats. The Raptors don't have a crappy offense. They're not losing games because of their offense. They're losing games because of their defense.

Also, JJ is efficient when given chances on offense. He isn't exactly getting those meager 9PPG due to a high volume of shots. He's getting it because he's efficient in his minimal opportunities.

[RaptorsFan4Life]

And yet he shoots .500 from the Field. Which shows that he has a high Basketball IQ, and despite being a 'shit jumpshooter' manages to get off good, high percentage shots within his skillset. And when he doesn't have the shot he has shown to be rather adept in making the right pass at the right time. Not to mention he can bring the ball up the floor and start the break, after he grabs one of those rebounds.

He may be a 'shit jump shooter', but thats not his game, and he knows it. Nor does he rely on his jumpshot for success.

You do realize he mostly goes to the basket right? He's shooting 33% from 3-9 (0.9 attempts), 29% from 16-23 feet (1.7 attempts) and 33% from 3 (0.6 attempts per game). He's taking 3.4 attempts at the basket and shooting 70% that's boosting his shooting %. He's a garbage jumpshooter.

Note: That's not including his time with the Bulls, only Raptors.

http://www.hoopdata.com/shotstats.as...11&gp=0&mins=0

[Joey]

You do realize he mostly goes to the basket right?

... That is literally exactly what I am saying in my last post. What does it matter if he is a shit jump shooter if he doesn't shot alot of jump shots, but still manages to be effective?

[ceez]

Love me some JJ

[Apollo]

I think it has a lot to do with "Raptors programming". The team has lacked guys going to the hoop for so long that it's engrained in people's minds that if the guy doesn't have a good jump shot then he's garbage on offense. Personally, I appreciate a guy going to the rim and sacrificing his body for the team far more than a guy parked on the perimeter, wanting no zero contact, and waiting for a catch and shoot opportunity. Most jump shooters are passive. Passive play isn't going to get the other team in foul trouble and force them out of their game plan. Passive play isn't going create space for good jump shooters to get better looks. The team needs guys like JJ and DeRozan and they should be commended for not being jump shooters. I've seen too many players come through here with horrible jumpers and instead of finding a way to play to their skills, they elected to park somewhere and wait for a shot that more than likely wasn't going in. JJ and DD, these guys aren't letting their egos dictate their play. They know themselves and they look like they've accepted who they are right now. The off-season is the place to work on a jumper, not when the shots fired are real.

[mcHAPPY]

... That is literally exactly what I am saying in my last post. What does it matter if he is a shit jump shooter if he doesn't shot alot of jump shots, but still manages to be effective?

Considering he was 15-46 (32.5%) in his first year, he devoted the summer of his second year to getting in basketball-game shape, I have no doubt his focus will return to basketball skills versus fitness skills and there will be a noticeable improvement in his shot next year.

He has said he is giving up fighting for basketball - he wants a basketball career, not a fighting career. When you consider how hard those guys work - and especially his family background - I have no doubt there are bigger and better things from James Johnson.

Consider Garbajosa's numbers in 2006-2007:

67GP 60GS 28.5MPG 42%FG 34.2%3PT 73.1%FT 4.9REB 1.9AST 1.2STL 0.2BLK 1.3TO 8.5PPG

to James Johnson in Toronto (yes, through only 13 games):

17GP 17GS 26.5MPG 49.2%FG 15.4%3PT 75.9%FT 5.1REB 2.5AST 1.1STL 1.4BLK 2.6TO 8.7PPG

Considering Garbo was 29 and Johnson is only just turned 24, I think the Raps could have their glue guy for the future - not a star, not an all-star, just solid/tough player which every team needs a few of and the Raps have lacked since, well, Garbo.

[Tim W.]

I've got to admit, I wasn't a big James Johnson fan when he came out of college, and didn't like the talk of him being a possibility for the Raptors to draft, but I've been impressed so far. What impresses me more than I was with a guy like Sonny Weems is that Johnson has shown all around skills, whereas Weems has shown really very little outside of scoring. A guy, like Johnson, who can do a lot of different things ends up being a lot more valuable than someone who can just score.

He still needs a lot of work, but I agree that anyone will be hardpressed to find a guy as good as Johnson late in the first round this year.

[Tim W.]

You do realize he mostly goes to the basket right? He's shooting 33% from 3-9 (0.9 attempts), 29% from 16-23 feet (1.7 attempts) and 33% from 3 (0.6 attempts per game). He's taking 3.4 attempts at the basket and shooting 70% that's boosting his shooting %. He's a garbage jumpshooter.

Note: That's not including his time with the Bulls, only Raptors.

http://www.hoopdata.com/shotstats.as...11&gp=0&mins=0

I don't know why people get so bent out of shape if a guy doesn't shoot jumpers very well. It's one of the easiest skills to learn in basketball. All it takes is repetition. The list of guys who came into the league that couldn't shoot beyond 5 feet and ended up becoming decent jumpshooters is a mile long. As long as he's got the will, I really don't doubt he can become a decent shooter.

[Raptor4Ever]

I remember Noah and Thibodeau coming out and commending JJ for his positive attitude and wished him to get the chance he deserved to prove himself. When the trade happened I remember the message being that the Bulls were so deep that they didn't have the minutes for him to learn on the floor.

So you really believe that if Bulls thought the JJ was a real promising Talent and could have been a part of their future, they wouldn't keep him on the bench behind Deng !!! The guy is on Rookie Salary and there is no reason to trade him unless you feel like he can be no part of your future. No Smart Coach or GM will give up on a young player with ton of upside that easily.

Crappy teams who have crappy offenses allow for players to pad offensive stats. The Raptors don't have a crappy offense. They're not losing games because of their offense. They're losing games because of their defense.

Simply Not True NY had a great offence last year and David Lee was able to pad his stats to a great contract. What is he doing now ? He is surrounded with a better players and he can not get the touches. This is the case with JJ.

Who is his competition for SF in Raptor Team right now ??

Kleiza has been out the whole time. Weems is in his way out of the NBA after getting exposed. Wright who Triano has a personal feud with and will never see the floor time even if I am the other choice for SF for Raptors.

The Guy has no competition for that position so he will get his shots and in the RUN & GUN style of Toronto, where you spent no energy on defense, will be able to score and pad his stats.

That being said, since he is in his Rookie contract, I will wait till next year to make mind up about him. Time will expose scrubs the way it did Weems and Bayless and all signs point to JJ being next.

[JoePanini]

I remember Sonny Weems had an stretch of very impressive games last year too and fans here why crying that why BC did not sign him over the summer and ... We all saw how that turned out.

Look at the front page article and what the Bulls guys said about JJ. He is playing freely in a crappy team. It is normal for him to score and raise his numbers.

Put him back into a real team and his bad mistakes,high turn overs and ... will be become highlighted again and he will be nailed to the bench.

We already have one scrub ( Amir) with the paycheck of real NBA starter in this league. Lets not make JJ , a 2nd Amir.

All that being said, JJ WILL be a solid SF coming off the bench.

Watch him play. All Weems did last year was score and have some nice highlight reels. Johnson plays hard, plays smart. He is our best defender, and if we get a guy like Barnes we'll have the 3 spot set for the future.

[Apollo]

So you really believe that if Bulls thought the JJ was a real promising Talent and could have been a part of their future, they wouldn't keep him on the bench behind Deng !!! The guy is on Rookie Salary and there is no reason to trade him unless you feel like he can be no part of your future. No Smart Coach or GM will give up on a young player with ton of upside that easily.

They still view Deng as a highly important piece to their team. I'm not sure what you have against the guy but assuming they share your view is very near sighted. Fact of the matter is, they wanted to stockpile draft picks and cut cap to facilitate future moves. They didn't have any minutes for him and they were so deep that they can afford to deal such prospects to help build towards a move that greatly improves there team. No one has said JJ is going to be a star so I'm not sure where you're going with this.

Simply Not True NY had a great offence last year and David Lee was able to pad his stats to a great contract. What is he doing now ? He is surrounded with a better players and he can not get the touches. This is the case with JJ.

Who is his competition for SF in Raptor Team right now ??

Kleiza has been out the whole time. Weems is in his way out of the NBA after getting exposed. Wright who Triano has a personal feud with and will never see the floor time even if I am the other choice for SF for Raptors.

The Guy has no competition for that position so he will get his shots and in the RUN & GUN style of Toronto, where you spent no energy on defense, will be able to score and pad his stats.

That being said, since he is in his Rookie contract, I will wait till next year to make mind up about him. Time will expose scrubs the way it did Weems and Bayless and all signs point to JJ being next.

Again, people aren't praising JJ for being a great scoring option. Go on, continue to build your case against your shadow...

[Raptors_]

So you really believe that if Bulls thought the JJ was a real promising Talent and could have been a part of their future, they wouldn't keep him on the bench behind Deng !!! The guy is on Rookie Salary and there is no reason to trade him unless you feel like he can be no part of your future. No Smart Coach or GM will give up on a young player with ton of upside that easily.



Simply Not True NY had a great offence last year and David Lee was able to pad his stats to a great contract. What is he doing now ? He is surrounded with a better players and he can not get the touches. This is the case with JJ.

Who is his competition for SF in Raptor Team right now ??

Kleiza has been out the whole time. Weems is in his way out of the NBA after getting exposed. Wright who Triano has a personal feud with and will never see the floor time even if I am the other choice for SF for Raptors.

The Guy has no competition for that position so he will get his shots and in the RUN & GUN style of Toronto, where you spent no energy on defense, will be able to score and pad his stats.

That being said, since he is in his Rookie contract, I will wait till next year to make mind up about him. Time will expose scrubs the way it did Weems and Bayless and all signs point to JJ being next.

Why do guys like you and raptorsfan4life always hate on the hardworking players on this team? and worship players like bargnani who put no effort into anything but scoring.

[Macc]

James Johnson is a straight up , biblical nightmaric beast. That's what he DOESSSSSS!
LOL Quote from the Legend of commentators on youtube, ELPRESADOR.

It's quite obvious that James Johnson has BEAST BLOOD. But I think 15/7 is pushing it, especially since he may not be our starter next season. If he is starting he could be around 12/6/3. It all depends on who's on the roster next season. If he comes off the bench his numbers should stay about the same.

[SuperRaptor]

I love james johnson, he is EXACTLY what the raptors needed, and for a late first rounder he was a steal. He does what this team needs, and if we were to add another couple of players like him to our team, and maybe get rid of some weak defenders (bargnani, calderon) then we might even be able to settle our defense issues. One day I would like to see a line up of: Bayless at the 1, Derozan at the 2, JJ at the 3, Amir at the 4, and Ed at the 5... with barbosa, calderon, and bargnani coming off the bench, that is one highly potent 2nd unit scoring wise, and a nice solid, tough, young, and athletic starting line up. I just would like to see what would happen, It may not work out, we might not be able to score enough or something, but just as an experiment I would like to see what would happen if we gave the guys in the starting unit all about 25-30 min. a game.