Could Joe Johnson Fit With The Detroit Pistons?

It’s no secret that head coach and president of basketball operations with the Detroit Pistons Stan Van Gundy wants to right the ship as soon as he can and turn his team into a real contender, but recent rumors may be pointing toward him doing that even sooner than some may have expected.

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The latest trade rumors with the Pistons are that the team has reached out to the Brooklyn Nets about acquiring veteran swingman Joe Johnson, a move that would be made to expedite the rebuilding process in the Motor City and look to make the team more competitive in a short amount of time.

The real question is, does Johnson fit into what the Pistons are trying to do on both ends of the floor?

Throughout his career, Johnson has been a reliable scorer on the perimeter, offering a mix of shooting and post-up play, which fits nicely with his 6-foot-7, 240 pound frame. Johnson more often than not has a size mismatch at the shooting guard position, and he knows how to take advantage of it by taking smaller players down in the post and bullying them for easy buckets.

Johnson won’t choose to shoot over smaller players a ton, and that’s something that veteran players do so well is recognize how they can get the easiest shots possible throughout the game, and that’s one way if the matchup is there.

When Johnson does choose to shoot, he isn’t exactly a scrub in that area of the game, as he shoots 44.3 percent from the field including 37.3 percent from behind the three-point line. Johnson has one of the sweetest shooting strokes in the NBA, something that his previous teams have always loved about his game because he has that size to rise up and get his shot off.

Not many people can actually block his shot, which makes him an effective option to turn to when the team needs a score down the stretch.

Speaking of scoring late in games, there are very few players who are more clutch than Johnson, as he is one of the best late-game scorers in the league. When the game is on the line, Johnson is not afraid to be the man with the ball in his hands for that last-second shot attempt.

Johnson thrives off of the pressure, and knows how to focus on the task at hand and tune out all of the negativity and doubt around him.

Having a player like that in the lineup is important because especially in the playoffs the game slows down and turns into a more grind-it-out style of play. Scores are tighter late in games, meaning that it’s going to take a series of both efficient and tough shots to close things out. Johnson is that guy that can deliver those shots and not be concerned about it one bit.

With all of the positives that Johnson brings to the table, along with leadership and reliability on defense, it’s clear that he would fit with what the Pistons want to do as a team. What would it cost to pry him away from the Nets? That much remains to be seen, but it may cost a first-round pick and a player with decent talent, which may or may not be too steep of a price for Detroit.

The Pistons need to keep acquiring young talent, and giving up a first-round pick doesn’t exactly help with that endeavor. However, Detroit would be getting a leader in return, someone who can teach the young guys that are still with the team how to be professional and make the necessary improvements in order to take their games to that next level of success.

A player like that doesn’t exist in Detroit yet, so the Pistons may look to bring Johnson in regardless of the price, even if it means giving up a player like point guard Brandon Jennings.

Seeing as the Nets have been rumored to have had Johnson on the table for quite time, it makes sense for both teams to get this deal done. The Pistons should absolutely pursue Johnson and not be afraid to splurge a little in terms of his asking price, as he is exactly the kind of player Detroit needs to be competitive again.

*Statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.

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