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Amir Johnson: How Will He Fit In Boston?

By Eric Laboissonniere

Mar 18, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Amir Johnson (15) reacts after dunking the ball for a basket during the second half of the Raptors 105-100 win over Minnnesota Timberwolves at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Amir Johnson (15) reacts after dunking the ball for a basket during the second half of the Raptors 105-100 win over Minnnesota Timberwolves at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Boston Celtics are going to open the 2015-2016 season with many new players in the frontcourt, and Amir Johnson is one of them. He might not be a household name in the NBA, but he will have a great opportunity to make a bigger name for himself in Boston.

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Last season, he was a member on the Toronto Raptors, where he averaged 9.3 PPG and 6.1 RPG. Those numbers might not jump off the page, but he had a huge impact on the Raptors, especially in the last two seasons where the Raptors made the playoffs for consecutive seasons.  He really helped Toronto on the defensive end, even though he might not be a great rim-protector, he is a great man-to-man defender at the power forward and center position. This is why he will be a great fit on the Celtics because of his terrific defense.

The C’s need help on the defensive end

The Celtics are not making Johnson the highest-paid player on the Celtics next season for his offensive ability, the team went after him because of his defensive and rebounding ability. Yes, he will be able to hit mid-range jumpers, and attack the basket in the paint, but he will not be a go-to scorer for the team. He even has the ability to stretch the floor and shoot from deep, but the Celtics do not need that much help on the offensive end; the team needs help on the defensive end.

Johnson will add great versatility on the defensive end, and so will rookie Jordan Mickey who is a great shot-blocker. The Celtics struggled on the glass last season and in the paint because they were quite undersized in the frontcourt because players like Brandon Bass, and Tyler Zeller struggled to handle the workload on both ends of the floor. Zeller had a good season on the offensive end last season, as did Bass, but both players were not great at protecting the rim or cleaning up on the glass. This is why the Celtics went out and grabbed Johnson, Mickey, signed David Lee to help on the glass, and Perry Jones III who will help on the glass as well.

Johnson should be in the starting lineup for the Celtics because he has proven in the past that he can do many things on both ends of the floor to help a team win. Johnson and Lee should be the starting froncourt on opening night for the Celtics because Lee will primarily add offense and Johnson will add the defense. Johnson is going to fit great on the Celtics not just because of his play, but because of his attitude and work mentality. He is going to work very hard to try and help the Celtics win every game, which is something that coach Brad Stevens is going to love.

The Celtics have tried to reinvent their frontcourt defense this offseason and adding Johnson is a step in the right direction down in the paint. LeBron James even thinks the Celtics do not need any help on the offensive end, which is why the team should just focus on defense, particularly frontcourt defense.

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