Rowan Kavner
In this series, Clippers.com’s Rowan Kavner analyzes the new additions of the Clippers’ roster, taking a look back at last season as well as what may be in store going forward. The next edition is on forward Wesley Johnson.
Key Numbers:
9.9
Johnson’s points per game last year, marking a career high for the former first-round pick who’s entering his sixth season in the league. He also had 102 points per 100 possessions last year, with Basketball Reference listing last season as his best in terms of offensive rating and NBA.com listing last season as his second best, trailing only his rookie year. For his career, Johnson has averaged 8.5 points per game, and he’s a career 40.9 percent shooter.
38.7
Johnson’s 3-point percentage in catch-and-shoot situations last year. While Johnson shot 35.1 percent on 3-pointers last year, that number went up more than three percentage points when teammates found him in situations where he didn’t need to create. He shot 38.2 percent from long range when he didn’t take any dribbles and hit 42.5 percent of his 3-pointers when he was wide open. Small forwards tend to get good looks in the corner in the Clippers’ offense.
76
Johnson’s career mark from the free-throw line, thanks to his last couple seasons. Johnson shot 69.6 percent from the free-throw line his rookie year, but he’s seen that number increase every season in the league. Last year, he shot a career-high 80.4 percent from the charity stripe, and he’s shot at least 77 percent from the line each of his last three seasons.
Synopsis
Johnson’s played for three teams in five years since entering the league, playing the last two with the Lakers. Last year, he averaged a career-high 9.9 points per game to go with 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists while playing a career-high 29.5 minutes per game.
Johnson played in 76 games last year, and while he was streaky, he did show the ability to make significant impacts on games. That’s something the Clippers are well aware of. Johnson scored a combined 31 points in his final two games against the Clippers last season while shooting 5-of-8 from behind the arc.
The small forward scored in double digits 38 times last year, including 14 games with at least 15 points and a 22-point game against the Celtics. In 12 games, he shot at least 60 percent from the floor. On the other side, he also shot 25 percent or worse in 13 games. That streakiness went month-to-month. In November, he shot 44 percent from the floor. In January, he shot 36.5 percent.
However, after that down month, he shot at least 40 percent each of the final three months of the season. In his final month of the season, Johnson averaged 11.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, getting his most minutes since his strong November. For the second straight year, Johnson also averaged 1.6 assists and more than four rebounds per game.
Highlight Moment
Johnson scored a season-high 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting to help the Lakers snap a seven-game losing streak with a seven-point overtime win against the Celtics. While the Lakers only won 21 games last season, that victory sparked a three-game winning streak for the Lakers. Johnson started 59 games last year, but he ended up playing a team-high 33 minutes in that game. Johnson and Nick Young were both a team-high plus-15 on the floor that game.
Looking Forward:
Plenty of expectations will get placed on a top-five draft pick, fair or not. This year should be Johnson’s best chance to show he was worthy of being a top-five pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, as he’ll be playing on a team that’s had a winning record the past four seasons. Johnson’s never played for a team with a winning record.
The Clippers tend to get good looks for their small forwards, particularly when they get paired with Chris Paul, which should create more open shots for Johnson and should allow him to catch-and-shoot instead of try to put up shots off the dribble. It’s possible Johnson, who’s started more than he’s come off the bench during his career, ends up beginning games with the starting unit.
If the Clippers decide to start him some games to limit Paul Pierce’s minutes, with the open looks Johnson’s sure to get, this could become the most productive season of his career. For Johnson to earn starting time, he’ll have to put his 6-7 frame to good use consistently on the defensive end.
What They Said:
Wesley Johnson – “When I initially signed, I was just – get a chance to win, I think that was my mindset. I want a chance to win. My track record through my career is I’ve been on teams, unfortunately, that have been bad. So fortunately, I’m on the other side and looking forward to the season, looking forward to expectations that we have, like to win a championship.
“After they started signing the group of guys they did, I think that we’re able to compete with anybody. We have a clear shot of winning it.
