Brooklyn Nets: Joe Johnson’s Strong Year Going To Waste
By Adam McGee
One of the biggest concerns for Brooklyn Nets fans has to be the way in which the team invested so much in older players. Under Mikhail Prokhorov’s reign they have added the likes of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Joe Johnson, while even another signing, Deron Williams, is now getting on in age.
The logic behind this decision was clear, even if it was flawed. The Nets felt they were in a position where they could contend for, and even win a championship, but the reality though showed them to be well short of that mark. Now, with that clear for all to see, and the Nets in a battle just to even make the playoffs, they have a different sort of problem.
Although the Nets have a lot of young players mixed throughout their rotation, the core of their elite talent remains on the wrong side of 30. There’s perhaps no better example of this than Joe Johnson.
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Turning 34 at his next birthday, Johnson is nowhere near done in the NBA, but he is edging ever closer all the time. It’s already fair to say that he’s not the same player he was five to six years ago. Through his mid-to-late 20’s, Johnson was comfortably averaging 20 points per game, along with close to four rebounds and five assists. Johnson might not necessarily be putting up those numbers this season, but he’s still playing well.
After a bit of a struggle last season, Johnson’s production has gone up across the board this year. Johnson is averaging 15.9 points per game, to go with an impressive haul of 5.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists. The Arkansas native’s shooting percentages have continued to hold steady also , averaging 44.7 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from behind the three-point line.
What has to be tough in all of this for Johnson is the fact that, even after all of these years, he’s still making a meaningful impact, yet not truly reaping the rewards. Between Phoenix, Atlanta and Brooklyn, Johnson has gone to the playoffs in nine of his 14 career seasons, yet he’s never had the chance to make an appearance beyond the second round.
As quiet as his demeanor can be both on and off the court, Johnson is a true competitor, and there can be little doubt that his lack of postseason success hurts him. Like many others, he probably felt that Brooklyn represented his best chance to go those extra couple of steps further, and yet it has never materialized.
Perhaps this is the reason why Johnson was the most vocal player in the Nets locker room early in the season. As most of his teammates bounced questions about the team’s underachievement away with clichés, Johnson called it how it was. His pronouncement of his team as being “selfish,” shocked many, although on further inspection it was perfectly understandable.
Although he’s still playing good basketball, time is ticking down for Joe Johnson, and he knows it. With suggestions of potential trade discussions popping up around the Nets, you’d have to wonder if Johnson would actually feel relieved to be traded. After all, I’m sure he’d just like one more chance to make a deep run in the playoffs.