Amir Johnson: The Glue Guy

By Joshua Howe | Apr 7, 2015

Mar 30, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Amir Johnson (15) fouls against Houston Rockets forward Josh Smith (5) during the first half at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

When you talk about the Toronto Raptors, Amir Johnson tends to get overlooked. People talk about Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan first (and rightly so), then move on to talk about the potential of Jonas Valanciunas or the love-hate relationship they hold with Terrence Ross. Or even how Louis Williams starts putting up shots before he’s even left the bench.

But they never talk about Amir Johnson.

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This is a shame, because Amir may be the most valuable player on the team. No, seriously. Think about it. There are a lot of tough players to guard at the four spot in the East and in the playoffs they’ll all be there with their great reputations in tow.

You’ve got Paul Millsap, LeBron James (he plays quite a bit at the 4 spot), Kevin Love, Pau Gasol, and Nene Hilario, just to name a few.

And who does Toronto have to combat those All-Star caliber players? Amir Johnson. The name that will make non-watchers of the Raptors go, “Oh, boy. Those matchups don’t look so good for them.”

But the fact that Amir doesn’t have a rep (unless you’re a Raps fan) is misleading. When healthy, he’s a great defender, an unheralded interior passer, a solid mid-range and long distance shooter (19-for-46 or 41.3 percent from deep this season!), one of the best hustle players around and one of the greatest locker room teammates in the league.

Oh, yes, Amir is important. But the key word there is “healthy,” which is something Johnson has struggled with throughout his career. You can’t use that against the guy though. If he’s able to walk, he plays. He’s a no-maintenance dude. He could have just gotten hit by a train and if he’s able to wiggle a finger, he’ll suit up.

Unfortunately, like the rest of us human beings, he’s mortal. You can see when he’s playing through pain on the court, and it’s gut-wrenching and uplifting at the same time. The former because he’s labouring, the latter because he’s giving his all anyway.

It’s always difficult to tell whether Amir is healthy on any given day. He never talks about it if he doesn’t have to, so unless it’s visible on the court like it often is, no one really knows for sure. There are always pre-game ramblings about, “Is Amir healthy tonight?”

When he’s at his best, he can give any of the previously mentioned guys a run for their money. I’ve seen him guard LeBron to the point at which James was bothered immensely. That’s something you don’t see from very often from a once-in-a-generation player. There just aren’t many guys who can affect him like that.

Let’s also not forget how during last year’s playoff run, Amir carried the Raptors for much of Game 7 despite being injured and almost took them to a win with his jump hook.

That’s the player the Raptors need come the playoffs. Just like DeRozan getting back into form, Amir needs to get or stay healthy. If he’s not, teams are going to use that to their advantage and attack him relentlessly.

And who’s he got to back him up? Patrick Patterson and Tyler Hansbrough.

Patterson can hold his own when he’s in the game, but he definitely can’t replace a true starter. And no disrespect to Hansbrough, but he shouldn’t be playing key minutes in a playoff game.

The Raptors need Amir out there not only for his play, but just for his presence as well. He’s a calming, cool-headed addition to any lineup. He never appears rattled, almost never gets upset and always provides leadership in his own way.

He’s the glue guy. He’s the guy that keeps everything together even when you don’t notice him out there. He’s the guy that nobody thinks of first but probably should.

Amir Johnson is Toronto. And goodness knows the Raptors will need him (and need him healthy) if they plan on going anywhere significant.

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