Houston Rockets: Can Joe Johnson make an impact in the playoffs?

Joe Johnson’s recent play indicates that he’s on a steady decline, but could he make an impact for the Houston Rockets in the playoffs?

On February 14, Joe Johnson signed with the Houston Rockets. Many claim that this move makes the Rockets considerably better. Joe Johnson is a seven-time All-Star who could score off isolation and has played in Mike D’Antoni’s system before.

In his first game in a Rockets jersey, Johnson played 31 minutes finishing with nine points, three rebounds, and a steal. Once Joe Johnson gets his footing, he can be a good role player that could make an impact when it matters. He could possibly relieve some of the pressure from James Harden and Chris Paul.

But recent playoff performances show a steady decline in Iso-Joe’s effectiveness on the floor which should make fans question how much Joe Johnson has left to give the Houston Rockets.

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Joe Johnson was a big name in the NBA world at one point. He’s play was the focus of every opposing team but he hasn’t been able to bring a team a title in his sixteen year career (currently in his seventeenth). By the time he joined Miami in 2016, he was still a big time player that can put up big time numbers.

In Miami he showed flashes of what he could offer and at other times struggled to produce points. That carried on into the playoffs. In some games, he would score 16 or 17 points against Charlotte and Toronto, but Miami would still lose. In other games, he would score eight or nine points and they would win. So he didn’t seem to have much of effect even though his primary focus should be to score.

In the 2015-16 postseason, Joe Johnson averaged 12.1 points in 35.1 minutes.

During the summer following Miami’s second round exit, Joe Johnson signed with the Utah Jazz. In Utah, Joe was put in as a vet who could bring his experience and knowledge to a young team on the rise, but the inconsistency continued. Although he wasn’t the primary focus on offence, he could still, at times, put points on the board. Opening night Johnson scored 29. That would be his career high during the regular season with the Jazz.

Going into the playoffs against the LA Clippers, something lit a fire under Johnson. In his first four games, Joe Johnson averaged about 19 points including some clutch performances on the offensive end. Iso-Joe was back and his game sparked the Utah Jazz as they eliminated the Clippers in seven games.

In that series, Joe averaged 15.7 points in 32 minutes.

Things were looking good for Johnson and many expected him to be a contributing factor in the semi-finals. That wasn’t the case. During that series, the Warriors would beat the Jazz by double-digits. Johnson, meanwhile, barely made double digits in the stat sheet. In 25.5 minutes, Joe Johnson averaged eight points.

Well coached teams are prepared. Pace and focus from the Warriors are possible factors that contributed to Johnson’s ineffectiveness. He was known as a veteran scorer, but it hasn’t been the case.

Currently, in the 2017-18 season, Joe Johnson is averaging single-season career lows. Early in the season, Johnson suffered a right wrist injury. It is possible that he may not have fully recovered.

In that first game, when he put up nine points, he went 2 for 9 (22.2%) from the field and 1 for 5 (20%) from 3. Of course it’s just one game, during the regular season, but there should be a cause for concern. His recent past in the playoffs has been inconsistent and his play is not making much of an overall impact to the end result.

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Will he be able to play against younger, elite defences that prepare for him? Will he be able to make an impact on the floor after guarding the likes of Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson in a potential playoff series? Can he match the fast pace of the Houston Rockets?

The NBA playoffs begin April 22.

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