SMALL FORWARD: JOE JOHNSON VERSUS IMAN SHUMPERT
Joe Johnson, Iman Shumpert (AP)
Joe Johnson: 70 G, 70 GS, 32.9 MPG, 15.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG, .450 FG%, .404 3P%, .817 FT%, 15.2 PER
Iman Shumpert: 67 G, 56 GS, 26.3 MPG, 6.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG, .375 FG%, .348 3P%, .786 FT%, 9.3 PER
The last time these two matched up, it was at shooting guard. But with the evolution of the Nets lineup and the injury to Knicks backward/off-center Andrea Bargnani, Shumpert will slide up to guard Brooklyn’s best shooter.
Shumpert has been in and out of the Knicks’ starting lineup in 2014, most frequently due to an offensive game that resembles a stalling, sputtering car rather than a professional basketball player. Despite most of the attention going to Williams and Pierce, Johnson quietly averaged 17 points in March, and kicked off April with a 32-point barrage against the Houston Rockets.
Advantage: Nets
