Amir Johnson Stepping Up Defensively For Celtics
By Liam O'Brien
Celtics center Amir Johnson may not be making a consistent impact on the score sheet, but his effect on Boston’s defensive approach has been measurable.
Boston Celtics center Amir Johnson may have netted just two points in his team’s 100-80 shellacking over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday afternoon. However, with Johnson, his contributions are deeper than what the surface shows.
The 11-year veteran’s impact on the defensive side of the ledger was considerable, as he anchored the Celtics squad to an enrapturing performance in which the stumbling Bulls shot below 38 percent from the field while making just seven of their 25 three-point attempts.
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Boston essentially put the game at arm’s length immediately out of the gates, jumping out to a commanding 13-0 lead over the first half of the game’s opening stanza. Much of this momentum arose from their defensive intensity, and Johnson was a primary catalyst in this stout showing. One minute into the contest, Bulls power forward Bobby Portis attempted to put his team on the board with a turnaround hook shot over Celtics center Al Horford. Much to his dismay, Johnson rotated from the opposite block to defend Portis’ shooting hand, making it impossible for the second-year pro to garner a clean look at the hoop. This caused the brick to miss the rim entirely and carom off of the weak side of the backboard.
90 seconds later, Johnson contributed to Portis’ disappointing afternoon once again. After receiving the ball at the right elbow following a pick-and-pop, Portis blew past Horford with a rapid pump fake and galloped to the rim. He attempted to toss a floater off of the backboard from the right block, however, Johnson quickly rotated over to swat his shot directly into the arms of Celtics small forward Jae Crowder.
On the game’s following possession, Johnson showcased his ability to stay in front of quicker perimeter players. After Portis set a screen for All-Star starter Jimmy Butler on the right wing, Johnson received the daunting task of guarding Butler after switching with Crowder on the pick. Johnson was not fazed, staying with Butler and forcing him to pick up his dribble and swing the ball in the direction of Portis. The Arkansas product decided to utilize the same pump fake that he caught Horford out of position with on the previous possession. However, Johnson recovered admirably, silencing Portis’ drive attempt and resulting in him flubbing a pass and turning the ball over.
After a break to catch his breath, Johnson returned midway through the second period to wreak more havoc on the pitied Portis. Following a pass from Butler in the right corner, Portis drove left on Johnson, who was closing out hard after coming from inside of the paint to help defeat Butler’s hopes of a drive. Johnson beat Portis to the spot as the ambled to the center of the paint, forcing him to stumble as he pursued an up-fake, step-through move to his right hand. Johnson’s stellar defense caused Portis to lose his balance, and the Los Angeles native easily blocked his graceless floater for his second batted ball of the game.
One quarter later, Johnson recorded his lone steal of the game. After catching the ball at the left elbow, Bulls center Robin Lopez attacked the paint with his back to the basket, seeking to back Johnson down before releasing his trademark jump hook. However, Johnson did not allow him to record position to get the shot off, reaching across the body of the Stanford product and knocking the ball out of his possession and into the hands of point guard Isaiah Thomas, leading to a Boston dunk on the other end.
Despite his 1-of-4 shooting night, Johnson affected the flow of the offense in a positive manner as well, making plays that the stat sheet does not showcase. You could make the case that Johnson deserved an assist on a three-pointer by shooting guard Avery Bradley that gave the Celtics a 10-0 lead four minutes into the ballgame. As Horford backed down Butler just outside of the left block, Johnson saw an opportunity to capitalize on Horford’s tremendous passing skills. With Bradley resting near the top of the key and his defender, the much-maligned Portis, hedging to his right to help out Butler, Johnson ran from Bradley’s right to set a pin-down screen on Portis.
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This left Bradley wide open for an easy three-point shot. Horford flipped the ball over, and he capitalized to give Boston an early double-digit advantage. With Johnson’s high basketball IQ on full display, it is no secret why head coach Brad Stevens offered him 27 minutes of playing time against Chicago.