Amir Johnson Needs to be a Three Point Threat

Despite going into free agency expecting fireworks, the Boston Celtics‘ prized acquisition wound up being Amir Johnson. The only problem is that not only was power forward already one of the deepest positions on the team, but they also acquired David Lee in order to dump Gerald Wallace‘s contract.

Now, the Celtics are left with a collection of power forwards, none of which have any kind of defined role on the team. Jonas Jerebko may be the only one who has no shot at the starting lineup, but the rest of them are going to be in an intense battle.

Apr 15, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) knocks the ball away from Boston Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko (8) in the third quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

If Amir Johnson is going to surpass both Jared Sullinger and Lee then he is going to have to enhance two key components of his game. In order to surpass Lee, Johnson is going to need reliability. Even if Lee is in the declining years of his career he is still going to be a reliable finisher and do not forget that he is one year removed from his all star form.

Lee always does a great job at the rim with just two seasons finishing under 65% and he is even more impressive in the mid range game as he shot 56% between 10 and 16 feet last year. Lee knows what he is capable of doing and he will be able to capitalize on a lot of opportunities created by Brad Stevens’ system.

Lee has had a much more established and respected career than Amir Johnson thus far and that reliability and trust will give him an edge. However, even if Johnson is not quite as established, that does not mean he will never be a better finisher.

Johnson may not be as consistent in the mid range game but he can go toe to toe with anybody at the rim. Jonson has shot above 70% at the rim in three of his last four seasons and he should be able to add to that total in Stevens’ system. Johnson will be able to enjoy many more easy finishes than years past and there is no reason to doubt his reliability in the paint.

Apr 24, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Amir Johnson (15) dunks the ball as Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) and Wizards center Marcin Gortat (4) look on in the fourth quarter in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 106-99, and lead the series 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Throw in that Johnson is 4 years younger than Lee and most signs are pointing to Johnson being a more capable finisher. Johnson should be able to handle a larger work load and there should be less risk of him breaking down physically.

Even if Johsnon can prove to be a more reliable finisher than Lee he will still have to surpass Sullinger. Sullinger is no where near as trusted as Lee but he has a much more dynamic offensive arsenal. Sullinger is the only one of the three that has used the three point shot as a main weapon his entire career. The problem is that Sullingr has not shot the three well enough yet.

Even though Sullinger has shot 208 and 184 threes in his last two seasons he has never shot them at a rate above 30%. That being said, Johnson has never attempted more than 66 threes as it has never been a large aspect of his game. Even if Johnson has a lot of ground to make up in three point shooting the potential remains there.

First of all, Johnson does not have the hardest standards to pass. It is possible that Sullinger will drastically increase his three point percentage this year but based on seasons past, it may not be difficult at all for Johnson to eclipse Sullinger’s three point shooting mark.

It is in a very small sample size but Johnson hit 19 of his 46 attempts from beyond the arc last season and that gave him a percentage of 41.3. The even better news for Johnson is that Boston is a great place to work on efficient three point shooting. Stevens loves bigs that can stretch the floor, which should give Johnson all the opportunities he needs. Tie that in with an offensive system with great ball movement that creates all kinds of open shots and Johnson is in a great position to expand his game.

If Johnson can manage to add the three point shot to his arsenal then he will already be a better option than Sullinger. Sullinger has struggled shooting the ball and unless he takes a huge leap this season he will not be able to compete with Johnson in the paint.

The only edge that Sullinger has over Lee and Johnson is his three point shooting but with how Sevens likes to use his bigs there is a good chance that will change.

Johnson was the Celtics’ big free agent signing but with how deep they are at the position he runs the risk of not even starting. Fortunately, Johnson has plenty of potential to become the best power forward on the Celtics and he can go a long ways in solidifying their starting unit.

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