The 41-point rout in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals seemed to have pushed the Rockets to the edge of the cliff, but with the excellent performance of Harden and Paul, the Rockets still pulled the aggregate score to 2-2 with a narrow win, and the two sides once again returned to the same running line. In this campaign, the Rockets' veteran Joe Johnson did not get even a minute of playing time. In the four games that have been played in the Western Conference Finals, the 37-year-old veteran has only played in two games in total, averaging only 2 points and 2 rebounds per game — compared to the Cavaliers' Korver, the 37-year-old has averaged 10.2 points per game so far in the East Finals, far more effective than Joe Johnson.
There is no doubt that Joe Johnson is no longer on D'Antoni's regular rotation list. Since the beginning of the playoffs, Joe Johnson has only made a total of 6 appearances, averaging only 1.7 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. You know, Joe Johnson can be regarded as the most important reinforcement for the Rockets mid-season, and the team values his rich playoff experience. During the regular season, Joe Johnson averaged 22 minutes of playing time per game.
Why, after 17 years in the league, was abandoned in the playoffs?
Age and injury are indeed an unavoidable reason. As a veteran who is about to turn 37, Joe Johnson's athleticism has declined considerably compared to previous years, especially on the defensive end, and too slow pace often makes him a breakthrough point for the opponent's attack. The defensive efficiency of 110 and the contribution value of 0.4 defensive victories in the regular season are almost career lows, and even though the Rockets are an offensive-oriented team, Joe Johnson's defensive ability now is still not acceptable to the team.
In addition, Joe Johnson also suffered a wrist tendon injury at the beginning of this season, which is undoubtedly a huge bad news for him to eat by shooting. Although it seems to have recovered after a few weeks, it has more or less affected Joe Johnson's shooting standards. After joining the Rockets, the 38.1% shooting percentage is a career-low, and the 27.9% three-point shooting rate is far from his career average of 37.1%, which is also the biggest gap between Joe Johnson and Korver, whose three-point shooting is always one of the Cavaliers' biggest weapons.
Joe Johnson's positioning on the Rockets is also quite embarrassing. Joe Johnson, who has played as the number two position for most of his career, in D'Antoni's small ball system, many times even topped the number four position, such a change is not easy for a veteran. As a player who mainly holds the ball and carries the ball, with everyone on the Rockets who need a certain amount of ball, Joe Johnson needs to play more time without the ball, and even needs to play the role of a fixed-point three-point shooter - which is very similar to the Thunder's use of Anthony this season. With 14.1% utilization also being the lowest in his career, with no ball in hand, Joe Johnson can really do little to help the team.
In addition, it has to be mentioned that D'Antoni's rotation problem. As we all know, in D'Antoni's tactical system in recent years, many key games have basically only used 7- to 8-player rotations. In the Rockets' existing lineup, except for the five relatively fixed starters, only Eric Gordon can maintain a stable playing time. Even as the coach increases the number of rotation players, prioritizing defensive striker Bamot and the "nine-fingered man" Gerald Green, Joe Johnson's performance today is clearly not enough to help him become a manager.
Seeing that the former "Eagle King" and "Singles Joe" can now only sit at the very end of the bench, I have to sigh at the speed and cruelty of the passage of time, and the former superstar also has a time when the role is not as good as a functional player like Korver. However, even if it cannot play, for the Houston Rockets, who intend to rush the championship, Joe Johnson's 17-year career and 13 playoff experience are still an indispensable asset on the team's road to the championship.