The stunning resurrection of Miami Heat’s James Johnson

Seemingly in the dog house for most of the season, James Johnson has provided an incredible spark in recent weeks for the Miami Heat.

Having played a grand total of 68 minutes for the season up until Jan. 3, it was understandable if people were wondering what had happened to James Johnson. Banished by the Miami Heat after arriving to training camp in a less-than-desirable condition, Johnson was naturally playing catch-up as the season commenced.

Despite impressing with 17 points in just 22 minutes in his season debut on Nov. 3, the ensuing two months were undoubtedly the most frustrating of his 11-year career.

With coach Erik Spoelstra sticking with a rotation that has delivered the Heat a great deal of success this season, finding room for the 32-year-old Johnson was proving incredibly difficult. However with the continued absence of swingman Justise Winslow and the natural grind of a long season, Johnson has recently found a niche in the second unit.

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Since taking a regular spot in the rotation on Jan. 5, Johnson has averaged 9.9 points and 4.1 rebounds in 19.1 minutes per game. Overall, these performances have been highlighted with outstanding efficiency, shooting 59.1 percent from the field, which has featured a sizzling 13-of-22 from long distance.

This all culminated during Johnson’s 22-point, six-rebound effort in the Heat’s nail-biting 118-113 overtime win over the Sacramento Kings. Shooting 9-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-5 from deep, Johnson also contributed three assists and two blocks, with his second block crucially stopping a potential game-tying 3-point attempt.

Following his performance, Johnson explained the mindset that has helped him stay focused throughout the season:

"“Just helping them guys out when I wasn’t playing. Seeing things on the court, them allowing me to talk to them while they’re on the bench, let them know what I see out there, and for them to accept that….I’m close (to feeling back to normal), still have some legs to get, but yeah I’m very close.”"

https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1219657417807532034?s=20

Not only has Johnson impacted the team as an exceptional teammate, but the pure numbers have also demonstrated the weight of his contribution. For the month of January, the Heat have had nine players appear in at least seven games while averaging at least 19 minutes per game.

During this stretch Johnson’s plus-12.1 net rating comfortably leads the team, with Bam Adebayo second with a plus-6.9 net rating.

After the Kings’ game, coach Spoelstra was full of praise for Johnson’s impact on the win:

"“He had his fingerprints on so many of those plays down the stretch, he had that block I don’t even know where from at the end … he gave us a different dynamic and playmaking out of the pick-and-roll. Defensively, he did some special things in the zone, that you have to be a great athlete and have the size and instincts to be able to make those plays.”"

Seemingly gaining confidence by the day, James Johnson has stunningly transformed from an afterthought in the rotation to again resembling the player the Heat front office invested in so heavily in the summer of 2017.

With the full backing of both the coaching staff and his teammates, Johnson could certainly continue to surprise in the second half of the season.