Dunks! In a weird way, he reminds me a lot of Derrick Favors when Favors was first drafted — athletic tools, decent touch on dunks and layups, but ugly shooting form and little else. (He’s skinnier than Favors and has way less upside, just saying by comparison.)
Inconsistent throughout. Not really something I expected to say much this season, especially against a team like the Bobcats. Took a terrible shot falling away over a bigger defender that was either his bad decision or a worse play call in crunch time.
His worst game as Williams’s replacement yet: couldn’t get into a rhythm, had trouble defending Kemba Walker, and turned the ball over a team-high four times.
Looked older than ever against Charlotte’s young big men, completely unable to rotate in a timely fashion or score inside. Had a few solid moments rebounding and even hit a couple of shots, but it’s becoming more clear with each passing game that the Nets did not get the Garnett they traded for.
If he ever met a shot he didn’t like he might lead the league in shooting. I believe half (if not more) of his misses were egregiously bad shots, and he only missed four shots.
Went down with a left ankle injury… again. This isn’t weakness, or lack of heart or grit or determination or bloodlust or whatever it is that narrative dictates TOUGH PLAYERS HAVE. This is just awful luck. Williams landed awkwardly on an already-sore ankle as Kemba Walker slid under him, hit two free throws, and left the game for good. Before Williams’s injury, he seemed a bit passive, attacking the rim only a few times and mostly seeing plays run through other players.
This isn’t voodoo, it just sucks.
The team’s best offensive option tonight, both as the team’s primary facilitator and as Spot-Up/Sniper Joe, but struggled late. The Bobcats ran Gerald Henderson around a ton of screens early, leaving Johnson to chase on most possessions, and it’s possible that his legs were fatigued by the fourth quarter.
Incredible fourth quarter offensively, putting in layup after layup, cleaning up the offensive glass, and keying the team’s fourth quarter run. Jason Kidd needs to lock Blatche in the film room and make him watch his play in that fourth quarter until Blatche understands that he has to stay inside on offense.
Did like that, but would be remiss to note that he was atrocious defensively. Just because you think you’re a point guard doesn’t mean you have to rebound like one on the defensive end.
16 minutes, 3 rebounds, -14. Yup.
