Brooklyn Nets: Joe Johnson And His Love Of Jump Shots

Joe Johnson didn’t perform as expected in his first season as a Brooklyn Net. (NBA.com photo)

Over the course of the 2012-13 NBA season, it became apparent that newly acquired Brooklyn Nets’ shooting guard Joe Johnson had a love of jump shots, a love affair that potentially cost him a down season in his first year in Brooklyn.

Injuries may be partially to blame, as Johnson averaged 16.3 points per game (1.3 points off of his career average), but shot just 42 percent from the field and an even worse 37 percent from downtown.

The 13-year man’s struggles were really highlighted during the month of March, when Johnson shot .425 from the field and a dismal .321 from 3-point territory while averaging just 13.3 points per game as the Nets went 8-7 during the month.

For a shooter who struggled to find his stroke for a large portion of the season, the 6’7” guard could have utilized his 240-pound frame to get to the basket and finish around the rim, but Johnson continued to take outside jumpers. Take a look at his shooting chart from this season:

Joe Johnson had his clutch moments, but he was largely an inconsistent shooter for the Nets this season. Green= Above average; Yellow= Average; Red= Below average (Image from NBA.com)

As you can see from the chart, Johnson did have his hot spots from the corners, the top to the left side of the key and a portion of the right side of 3-point line, but he was mediocre everywhere else and was dismal from up close to the rim, shooting just 48 percent.

As the season progressed, Johnson continued launching shots from positions on the floor where he hadn’t found much success from, as you can see in this shooting chart, which displays Johnson’s shot distribution from this past season:

Joe Johnson continued to shoot from spots on the floor where he wasn’t successful all season long for the Brooklyn Nets. (Image from NBA.com)

Johnson attempted the most amount of 3s (110) from the left side of the top of the 3-point area, which was a spot on the court where he shot below the league average, shooting 30 percent from that spot.

There’s no doubting that Johnson can shoot the ball, but given his size, I’d like to see him drive to the basket more often. Not only would it increase his chances of scoring, but his penetration to the basket would create more opportunities for his teammates.

After all, we’re talking about a guy in Johnson who’s a career 44-percent shooter and has only shot better than 40 percent from 3 once in a season during his long career.

Point being is that Johnson isn’t an elite shooter.

That’s not to be confused with clutch, as we’ve seen Johnson hit his fair share of game winners and game-tying shots in his young Nets career, but when I think of an elite shooter, I’m talking Stephen Curry-type company.

Everyone is entitled to an off game, but Johnson’s performance in Game 7 of the playoffs against the Chicago Bulls—in which he went 2-for-14 from the field and just 1-for-9 from 3—further supports my claim that Johnson should be looking to take the ball to the rack more often instead of settling for outside jumpers.

His enormous contract means he’s going to be in Brooklyn for quite some time, but if Johnson is going to help the Nets to an NBA title, he needs to work on his inside game. Obviously he’d still be counted on to knock down outside shots and hit buckets in the clutch, but on nights when he’s not feeling it from outside, he’d be able to contribute closer to the rim.

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