The Toronto Raptors are doing their best to put a quick stop to any drama surrounding James Johnson.
The emotional combo-forward took to Twitter late Wednesday night to express his #mood as “under-utilized,” comments that raised some eyebrows and required a subsequent twitter apology. Johnson declined to speak with media Friday, per TSN’s Josh Lewenberg, and head coach Dwane Casey said the matter is being handled internally.
Casey spoke openly about Johnson’s comments and Johnson’s role with the team in an appearance on Dean Blundell & Co. on Sportsnet 590 The Fan on Friday, calling the tweet “no big deal.” Here’s more of Casey:
We’ve texted. Again, no big deal. There’s not going to be a formal get-together. He’s already apologized for it and it’s not going to change how we play or who we play or rotations or anything like that.
…
James does know his role. I’ve told him numerous times about his role and where he stood in the pecking order. As a staff we have to continue to communicate daily to remind guys of their roles. It’s disappointing because we have some positive things going with the team but our guys are mature. They understand it. James is not a vicious young man whatsoever. Those things are going to happen with 15 young men in the locker room.
Role consistency has been a major talking point for Casey this season, and it’s part of the reason why Johnson went from DNP-CDs to starting for an injured DeMarre Carroll. As a 28-year-old veteran who has experienced ample role change in the past, Johnson is perhaps best suited to play the role of “guy with the inconsistent role,” ironic as that may sound amid an expressed desire for role consistency. By having his minutes change dramatically by situation and matchup, it means less cumulative tumult for everyone else.
Johnson has a legitimate claim to more minutes, but he’s clearly the ninth man in Casey’s mind right now. The only way to change that is to make the most of the minutes he gets, something he’s been doing for the most part, and be patient. The latter must be incredibly difficult, but Wednesday’s game stands as a good example of why Johnson’s minutes are low: The team paid Carroll handsomely to play a major role, Patrick Patterson was playing well, Johnson can’t really play the three alongside DeMar DeRozan, and Casey shortened the rotation in a tight game against a good team. Johnson can play as well as he’d like, but there are going to be some nights that Casey is going to be justified riding other players. Conversely, there will be nights when Johnson figures to be a key player, either because of match-ups or poor play by others or by a desire to better manage Carroll’s minutes (please).
While some have tried to fan the flames by speaking vaguely about unspecified things they’ve seen when around the team, this all seems pretty simple: Johnson is a useful player who is playing less than he feels he should, and he erred in expressing as much publicly. Granted, I’m not around the team as much as the regulars, but Casey and the Raptors bringing Johnson back after he was dealt away once before suggests any personality conflicts are believed to be entirely manageable.
Will and I discussed the matter more on today’s podcast, and I broke down the legitimacy of Johnson’s gripe here. This should be the last we hear about any Johnson drama, at least until the next time it comes up.
