Source - Sports Illustrated
According to Britt Robson > INSIDE THE NBA
According to Britt Robson > INSIDE THE NBA
• Raptors re-sign Amir Johnson to a five-year, $34 million deal
Just 23, Johnson has intriguing potential. The 6-foot-9 power forward was one of the Raptors' few quality defenders last season -- according to 82games.com, Toronto's opponents scored eight fewer points per 100 possessions when he was on the court than when he sat. He also shot 63.8 percent from the field, albeit in short stints (he averaged only 17.7 minutes), and in part because of his limited range.
And that's the rub: The Raptors are gambling a lot of money on a player with a limited sample size who doesn't seem like a great fit in terms of their needs. More specifically, Johnson has "played" five NBA seasons, but languished on the bench early in the tenure with Detroit and has just 3,291 career minutes -- the equivalent of slightly more than one season for a solid NBA starter. While he plays the same position as the departed Chris Bosh, he lacks Bosh's bulk (he's listed at just 210 pounds), not an ideal situation because the Raptors are committed at center to Andrea Bargnani, a sweet shooter but not a physical presence. Toronto also used its top draft pick on a thin power forward, 6-10 Ed Davis of North Carolina.
Scant experience and the prospect of an undersized frontcourt with Johnson and Bargnani make giving Johnson a healthy raise and a long deal seem overly pricey. Didn't the Raptors learn their lesson overpaying Hedo Turkoglu?
Just 23, Johnson has intriguing potential. The 6-foot-9 power forward was one of the Raptors' few quality defenders last season -- according to 82games.com, Toronto's opponents scored eight fewer points per 100 possessions when he was on the court than when he sat. He also shot 63.8 percent from the field, albeit in short stints (he averaged only 17.7 minutes), and in part because of his limited range.
And that's the rub: The Raptors are gambling a lot of money on a player with a limited sample size who doesn't seem like a great fit in terms of their needs. More specifically, Johnson has "played" five NBA seasons, but languished on the bench early in the tenure with Detroit and has just 3,291 career minutes -- the equivalent of slightly more than one season for a solid NBA starter. While he plays the same position as the departed Chris Bosh, he lacks Bosh's bulk (he's listed at just 210 pounds), not an ideal situation because the Raptors are committed at center to Andrea Bargnani, a sweet shooter but not a physical presence. Toronto also used its top draft pick on a thin power forward, 6-10 Ed Davis of North Carolina.
Scant experience and the prospect of an undersized frontcourt with Johnson and Bargnani make giving Johnson a healthy raise and a long deal seem overly pricey. Didn't the Raptors learn their lesson overpaying Hedo Turkoglu?
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