
3. Reestablish his defensive identity
It was clear early in the season that Johnson wasn’t his usual self. Following an ineffective five-point, two-rebound performance in 27 minutes during a home loss to the Washington Wizards, Johnson noted the following:
Heat's James Johnson on his play: 'I’m killing myself every night, every day. It’s just been terrible performances out of me and not just from an offensive standpoint, the defense. I can put my prints on the game better on the defensive end.'
— Tom D'Angelo (@tomdangelo44) November 16, 2017
Stating that he was frustrated after just his 13th game of the season was unusual. However, given the revelations that Johnson played a significant chuck of the season with a hernia injury, these sentiments are understandable.
In 2016-17, Johnson held his direct opponent to 40.5 percent shooting from the field, which was an excellent 4.8 percent below the league average at that position. However last season, Johnson’s direct opponent shot at a 45.2 percent clip, clearly a significant difference.
At 6’8″ and possessing a terrific combination of size and athleticism, Johnson’s overall aggressive nature combined with his basketball instincts means he possesses all the traits to be a force at the defensive end of the floor.
The following clip from the recent postseason is a prime example of just what Johnson can bring the Heat at the defensive end:
James Johnson with a big block on the defensive end and Goran Dragic with a STRONG finish at the other (with some nice flexing thrown in for good measure)! Watch the @MiamiHeat in action live now on FOX Sports Sun and FOX Sports Go! #HeatCulture #WhiteHot pic.twitter.com/U6JPzeL4nJ
— Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun (@BallySportsFL) April 20, 2018
However, with a career-low of 0.9 blocks per-36 minutes, it was plain to see that aside from a select few performances, Johnson was simply not the same player last season. In looking ahead to 2018-19, regaining his edge at this end of the floor should naturally be a high priority for Johnson and the Heat.