With COVID-19 rattling the NBA and causing game cancellations and absences from coast to coast, some familiar faces are being given the chance to return to the hardwood and show there’s still some traction left on their tires. Enter Joe Johnson, the 20-year veteran that just signed a 10-day deal to return to the very first team he suited up for, the Boston Celtics.
President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens brought on Johnson given the absences of his two primary threats at power forward, Al Horford and Grant Williams, entered the league’s COVID-19 Health and Safety protocols. Even reserve 4-man Juan Hernangomez is unable to suit up for the same reason, causing the urgency to sign a player who hasn’t played a regular season NBA game since the 2017-18 season.
Before the 2019-20 season, the first to be disrupted by the presence of this ongoing global pandemic, Johnson had been trying out for the Detroit Pistons but was ultimately waived.
Now, he will actually get a chance to suit up, with Adrian Wojnarowski announcing that he very well could be available tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers:
Free agent guard Joe Johnson is signing a 10-day deal with the Boston Celtics, sources tell ESPN. Johnson is returning to the franchise that drafted him 20 years ago and is expected to play tonight vs. Cleveland.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 22, 2021
Cleveland may be the ideal opponent given the decline of Johnson’s speed and athleticism, which helped him reach the All-Star game seven times as a member of both the Atlanta Hawks and the Brooklyn Nets.
The Cavs are a bigger team that starts just one player under six-foot-six typically, so Johnson won’t be chasing NBA athletes around the perimeter and could instead bang in the post with the likes of Lauri Markkanen and Kevin Love with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen also in those dreaded protocols.
What his role will be is currently unclear, but Johnson’s return to the team that drafted him is a welcome sight for the woefully short-handed Cs.