Stats: 53 G, 0 GS, 3.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.5 bpg, .457 FG%, .500 FT%, 9.67 PER
Preseason Expectations: “Petro has the type of athleticism that should thrive in Avery Johnson’s up-and-down system, and his offensive game should see increased production. Johan’s career shooting percentage is actually quite respectable and as long he takes quality shots, it should continue to improve. On the defensive end, Petro will be relied upon to slow down opposing big men when Brook needs a break. The Nets are expecting Johan Petro to come off the bench and play about 15 minutes a night. If he can play with high energy, get some garbage buckets and be solid on the defensive end, the Nets will be happy with their investment (despite the contract).”
The Good: Hmmm, well, uh Johan Petro has been a real good…..yeah there isn’t much to say here. Johan Petro is what he is (sorry for the cliche). He’s a serviceable but not very talented back-up NBA center that got too much money from the Nets in the offseason. The one positive thing I’ll say for him is that I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the quality of his mid-range jump shot. While he takes it far too often, he does have a decent stroke from 12-16 feet, and has made quite a few this season. Petro’s best all-around game probably came in the Nets 96-94 win over the Bulls on January 5th. He filled up the box score in that game, scoring 4 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, blocking 3 shots and even dishing out 2 assists in just 13 minutes played. But like I said at the top there is not much to go off of here.
The Bad: Aside from giving the Nets virtually nothing at the backup center position, the one thing that has been most disappointing has been his defense. Petro is 7-feet tall and should be a strong defensive force, especially blocking shots. Well despite playing just 11 minutes per game, he’s averaging only 0.5 blocks per contest and I can only remember a handful of times when he’s denied the opposition at the rim. I could choose from a number of things in terms of the bad for Petro, but two I’ll mention are that he’s shooting just 50 percent from the foul line and he’s committing 2.4 fouls per game in limited minutes.
The Extra: Petro has shown that he can be a decent offensive player if given the opportunity but there is really not much to say here. The Nets gave the Frenchman a ridiculous contract last summer and he has produced little to nothing for the team this season.
Final Grade: Johan Petro has certainly not been effective this season but he hasn’t been awful, considering the lowly expectations many Nets fans had for him. As I said above, I’ve been somewhat impressed with his jump shot, although he should focus more on playing in the post than floating around 15 feet away from the basket. Bluntly put, Johan Petro is pretty irrelevant to this team and has done nothing to change my opinion of him as a player so far this season. Grade: C-.
