Houston Rockets: Joe Johnson continues to struggle

After being added a month ago, Joe Johnson has continued to struggle for the Houston Rockets, which should limit his playing time in coming weeks.

When the Houston Rockets added Joe Johnson shortly after the trade deadline last month, the addition was mostly met with admiration.

Some fans expected Johnson to slot in to a role in the regular rotation, while others hoped he would simply be additional depth for the grind of the regular season (you can count me in the latter group). What has been made clear in recent weeks is that Mike D’Antoni is firmly in the former group, as he has carved out a significant role for the 36-year-old.

Now, it must be said that Ryan Anderson has missed Houston’s last seven games, leading to more minutes being available for the forwards on the roster, especially those that can slot in at the 4, which Johnson certainly can. However, Johnson has received significantly more playing time than Gerald Green, despite Green providing more for the Rockets when on the floor.

In eight games with the Rockets, Johnson has received 24 minutes per game, and the numbers paint an ugly picture. With Houston Johnson has averaged just 6.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting 41.3 percent from the field. Though he’s hit a higher percentage of his 3-pointers (33.3 percent with the Rockets compared to just 27.4 percent with the Utah Jazz), he has only attempted 21 shots from beyond the arc, making it too small of a sample to predict whether or not it will continue.

Then you get to the advanced stats, which paint an even uglier picture for Johnson. In his stint with the Rockets, Johnson is boasting a Player Efficiency Rating of just 6.7 (the league average is 15), a -3.1 offensive box plus-minus, a -1.1 defensive box plus-minus, and a -0.1 Value Over Replacement Player.

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At this point in his career, Johnson is simply too slow to expose mismatched defenders in isolation, making “Iso Joe” a thing of the past. In a Rockets offense that always has one of James Harden or Chris Paul on the floor, there are better ways to create scoring opportunities than relying on Johnson.

In fact, another more reliable offensive threat than Johnson is Gerald Green, who has received a significant decrease in playing time since Johnson joined the Rockets. Here is Green’s playing time  in the games since Johnson debuted as a Rocket on Feb. 14: 6, 0, 16, 3, 0, 15, 13, 0 and 20 minutes. Sure, Green has struggled recently (he’s only hit 25 percent of his shots in the past 10 games), but he is still a better offensive threat that fits better in the Rockets’ offense.

Green has hit 37.1 percent of his 3-pointers this season, and more importantly, he isn’t afraid to let it fly, attempting nearly seven shots from beyond the arc per game. Green can attack off the dribble, and has a tendency to hit tough, contested shots from anywhere on the floor. Also, Green’s ability to unleash a poster dunk can’t be ignored, as they have a tendency to pump up the rest of the team.

Of course, you aren’t getting anything on the defensive end from Green, but he is at least athletic enough at this stage in his career to stay in front of his man. On the other hand, Johnson struggles in man-to-man defense and is an extreme liability when trying to switch, which is a strategy the Rockets rely on heavily. At this point, Green is a more competent option defensively, especially if you surround him with other quality defenders such as Paul, P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute.

Moving forward, Mike D’Antoni should reduce Johnson’s minutes in favor of Gerald Green. Green is a better shooter and is more explosive offensively, while being more athletic defensively, which allows him to switch defensively.

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Johnson can be used as an extra depth piece a la Tarik Black, and can be reserved for moments in which Ryan Anderson plays himself off the floor in certain matchups or when D’Antoni wants to reduce the minutes of other key rotational players such as Trevor Ariza or Eric Gordon. After all, no team has ever complained about have too deep of a roster.