Johnson still on the outs in Raptors’ rotation

Josh Lewenberg

TSN Raptors Reporter

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TORONTO - A season ago, nobody's role caused more of a stir amongst the Raptors' fan base than James Johnson's.

Sporadically used in his first year back with Toronto, the situational forward toiled in the back end of Dwane Casey's rotation for most of the campaign and into the playoffs, despite endearing himself to the city with his feats of athleticism and eccentric personality.

After a summer of hard work, Casey plans to utilize him differently but don't expect to see the 28-year-old much more this season. His role remains unchanged.

"It's very difficult because I know how hard James has worked," said the Raptors’ head coach. "And my heart goes out [to] him, but he has guys ahead of him here so he's always going to be in that role unless someone, knock on wood, is injured or whatever."

Johnson, one of Toronto's strongest perimeter defenders, logged 19.6 minutes per contest in 2014-15, ninth most on the team. He appeared in 70 games, including 17 starts while filling in for the injured DeMar DeRozan, his best stretch as a Raptor.

By the end of the season his playing time had dropped. He received five DNP CDs (did not play, coaches decision) in March and April, including two in the playoffs. Johnson totaled just 12 minutes in Washington's four-game series sweep of the Raptors.

The concern with Johnson has always been inconsistency, not just game-to-game but possession-to-possession, and his tendency to do too much on both ends of the floor, something Casey has stressed to the forward during both of his stints with the team. 

It didn't end well the first time around. In 2012, Johnson clashed with Casey over his role, leading to his benching and eventual trade to Sacramento. Naturally, it seemed like a matter of time until history repeated itself last season. But it never did. 

More mature after spending some time out of the league, Johnson didn't lash out at the coaching staff. Instead, he kept his nose to the grindstone. He was often the first player on the bench to jump up and cheer on or encourage a teammate. He would stick around after games and go for late-night workout sessions in the practice gym on the third level of the Air Canada Centre.

Nobody spent more time working with him than assistant coach Jama Mahlalela. After their disappointing playoff elimination, Toronto's coaching staff sat down with each player to formulate an off-season workout plan. Johnson wanted to get better, wanted to add to his game, and asked for Mahlalela's help.

"James said, 'Know what? I want to stay in Toronto and I want to work here and I want to work with you,’ ” Mahlalela told TSN.ca. “And ‘I want to get better; I want to commit to getting better over the course of the summer.’ " 

Johnson, a Wyoming native, spent most of his summer in Toronto. He and Mahlalela would meet in the Raptors practice facility four-to-five times a week.

"That was the commitment we made," said the third-year assistant coach. "And then we basically tried to hold to it all the way through and he, to his credit, was here and he worked. I mean, he got better this summer. The amount of hours he spent was significant, more than a lot of other players."

The focus, as you might expect, was on his jump shot. Johnson has become one of the league's best at getting to and finishing around the rim. The forward shot 73 per cent in the restricted area last year, ranking third in the NBA (minimum 200 attempts), but hit just 22 per cent of his three-point tries, a long-time weakness in his game. In today's changing NBA, his limited range has not helped him stay on the floor.

So, Johnson got up roughly 200 three-pointers each day, most of them from the corners. Occasionally, his form will stray and so does the shot, but Mahlalela insists that when Johnson is locked in, he can see the improvement.

"I think the biggest thing for him is consistency," Mahlalela said. "When he starts to lose that focus, he loses his consistency. So just keeping him focused. When he gets his feet set, when he gets a good extension, a good follow through the ball’s gonna go in. He can shoot the ball very well, but he needs to do it the same way every single time."

"My j-ball's looking good this year for me," Johnson boasted. "So if I can open that up they're going to really have to come out and guard me and that's going to be bad news."

Primarily a small forward throughout his first six seasons in the league, Johnson has been learning to play the four in training camp. That's where Casey intends on using him this season. With his strength and versatility on the defensive end, Johnson should be able to keep up with bigger players. His quickness is an advantage offensively, but an improved jumper would go a long way in earning him more playing time. 

With Amir Johnson now in Boston and Casey's front-court hierarchy still up in the air, there's an opportunity to be had, for somebody. But there's also plenty of competition. Patrick Patterson and Luis Scola are at the top of the food chain - one will start, the other will come off the bench. Newcomer Anthony Bennet has made a strong case for himself with a solid camp. When Casey goes small, Johnson will compete for minutes with DeMarre Carroll, who can shift over to the four.

Conceivably, the move to power forward could very well mean less and more infrequent playing time. Once again, Johnson's patience and professionalism will be tested. 

"He's got to be a pro," Casey said. "That's what's going to keep him in the league for a long time, is him embracing that role, doing it in a positive way and being able to play multiple positions, because he is such a valuable tool at the three, at the four and at the five."

"It’s incredibly difficult," Mahlalela added. "I think it’s harder than most people would think; to know that I’m going to go put in a serious amount of work and I may not get any kind of reward for that with playing time. But I’m going to keep doing it and keep doing it and keep doing it knowing that if I do get playing time I’m going to be ready for it. And that’s what being a professional athlete is. It may be not the fairest thing in the world but it is what being a professional athlete is all about."

"He expects a lot of himself," he continued. "I think he has high expectations for himself so he struggles with not playing because he wants to play, he wants to be a contributor, he wants to help us win games. But he has a really big heart and I think that’s what always shines out to me. I think that’s why I said, 'Yeah, I’ll spend my summer with you as well', because he has such a big heart."