Miami Heat: Tyler Johnson A Pleasant Surprise

With a starting five of Goran Dragic (29 years old), Dwyane Wade (33), Luol Deng (30), Chris Bosh (31) and Hassan Whiteside (26), the Miami Heat‘s future title hopes aren’t exactly grounded in their youth. For an older team like the Heat, there’s no time quite like the present to compete for a championship.

However, based on what we’ve seen through the first few weeks of the 2015-16 NBA season, Miami has plenty of young players to look forward to in the future as well.

Though he’s already at the forefront of that category, Whiteside and his next contract will be a major point of emphasis for the Heat moving forward. Averaging 14.6 points, 11.7 rebounds and a league-leading 4.0 blocks per game, Miami’s starting big man could soon become the focal point of the Heat franchise as Wade, Bosh and Dragic continue to age.

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Rookie Justise Winslow is another headliner of that category. At just 19 years old, the former Duke Blue Devil is already showcasing his poise, maturity, athleticism and stout defense off the bench for the Heat. His two-way play could eventually become a staple for the organization, especially since he’s so young.

Then there’s 22-year-old shooting guard Josh Richardson, who has cracked head coach Erik Spoelstra’s rotation due to the absence of Gerald Green. Miami also recently acquired Jarnell Stokes in the Mario Chalmers trade with the Memphis Grizzlies.

But if you’re looking for the epitome of why the Heat may have a brighter future beyond the Wade and Bosh era, look no further than Tyler Johnson, a second-year shooting guard who was a virtual no-name last season and has been pleasantly surprising Miami ever since the team signed him to a two-year deal in January.

In his rookie season with the Heat, Johnson averaged 5.9 points in 18.8 minutes per game, shooting 41.9 percent from the floor and converting 37.5 percent of his 1.5 three-point attempts per game. He didn’t play often, but as an undrafted rookie out of Fresno State, Johnson’s contributions in 32 appearances were a welcome surprise.

So far this season, Johnson has gone about proving that his out-of-nowhere success from last season was no fluke, averaging 8.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocks in 21.1 minutes per game. He’s shooting a staggering 56.3 percent from the field, connecting on 54.5 percent of his three-pointers and has become a regular fixture in Spo’s rotation.

At times, including his most recent 17-point outing against the Utah Jazz, Johnson has looked even better than Dragic in the backcourt. The Heat need the Dragon to find his footing (and also learn how to use him) in order to reach their fullest potential, but at the very least, Johnson’s promising play helped make Chalmers expendable.

Chalmers, a two-time NBA champion, was a tough competitor and a fan favorite among some circles (either for his passion or because people felt sorry for him every time he got yelled at by his own teammates). But getting Chalmers’ contract off the books helped ease Miami’s salary cap situation and paved the way for the 23-year-old Johnson to earn more minutes.

After playing just a single minute in the team’s first two games, Johnson has been making the most of his opportunities, steadily earning more trust from Spo and reaching double-digit scoring figures in three of his last seven games. In the other four, he had six, seven, eight and nine points — all while being extremely efficient on a limited number of looks.

For a Heat bench that is suddenly teeming with potential, the formerly unknown Tyler Johnson is making a name for himself in this league.

In just his second season in the NBA, Tyler Johnson knows he belongs and is playing with confidence on both ends of the floor. Lots of players are confident in this league, but it’s also worth noting that the Heat are outscoring opponents by 7.6 points per 100 possessions with him on the court.

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Nine games into the season, it’s too soon to start wondering where Johnson — a restricted free agent — fits in with the team’s long-term plans. Re-signing Hassan Whiteside will be the team’s top priority next summer, but if Tyler Johnson can continue to become a consistent bench contributor like he’s been, the Heat will have to think about making him a more regular fixture in this organization.