Miami Heat: 3 goals for Tyler Johnson in 2018-19

3. Attack the rim and hit the free throw line more regularly

At 6’4″, Johnson is one of the more deceptively athletic players on the Heat roster. With a quick first step and — according to Johnson — a 43-inch vertical leap, regular forays through the heart of the defense would naturally be expected of the former Fresno State product.

Therefore, it was both surprising and unfortunate that in his fourth season in the league, Johnson averaged just 1.8 free throw attempts per game, well down from his 3.5 attempts per game in 2016-17. In fact, the 26-year-old Johnson had 29 games last season in which he failed to get to the free throw line, and a further 27 games in which he attempted just two free throws or less.

A primary cause of this drop in getting to the charity stripe was Johnson’s overall role in the offense. Even prior to the season-ending injury to Dion Waiters, Johnson was playing primarily off the ball. After averaging 56.8 touches per game in 2016-17, this number dropped alarmingly to 42.1 per game last year.

In conjunction with this decline, Johnson’s drives per game also took a hit, dropping from 7.8 to 5.5 per game, while his usage dropped from 20.7 to 18.5 percent. This was a shame, as Johnson converted at a career-best 60.8 percent clip on shots within five feet of the rim. Furthermore, he also shot a career-best 82.2 percent from the line.

With Waiters expected to return as the starting shooting guard, Johnson should be looking to have the ball in his hands on a more regular basis this upcoming season as part of the second unit, and in the process try to capitalize on everything he can offer the Heat in their pursuit of a return to the postseason.