Take last night’s 107-83 win over the Spurs, for example. Johnson scored just six points, but he was 3-for-3 from the field—including a pair of alley-oop dunks that showcased the athleticism he possesses in his 6-foot-11 frame. One in particular came on a backdoor cut coming off a screen in which he took a lob from J.J. Barea and, seemingly with his back to the basket, twisted his body around and threw down the dunk.
He added six blocks on the night—five coming in the first half, and one coming in spectacular fashion in which he swatted a Danny Green layup attempt off the back board. The ball ended up in Ricky Rubio’s hands, and he found Alexey Shved in transition for a fast break basket on the other end.
Each time he takes the floor, Johnson is focused. Two months ago, he was bussing around the D-League with the Santa Cruz Warriors. Prior to that, he spent the previous two seasons playing in a combined 41 NBA games for three different teams.
He’s already played in 18 games for the Wolves this year, averaging 12.5 minutes per night—more than he had in any of his stops in Boston, New Orleans or Portland—and he’s averaging a career high 5.2 points per game while shooting 62.9 percent from the field.
“Just bringing effort, that’s all it takes for me,” Johnson said. “I just have excitement to play this game. A lot of people can’t say they’re doing what they love for a living. So I don’t know, it’s just a great opportunity and I just want to make the best of it and leave it out there.”
Right now, he’s doing just that.
Johnson works with assistant coaches Bill Bayno and Jack Sikma at practice, trying to learn the nuances of the game that can help him develop into a more well-rounded player. Bayno gets physical with Johnson working on his post game, and with good reason. His drawback is that, at 210 pounds, he can get pushed around by some of the more bruising centers in the game if matched up against them.