Atlanta Hawks: What happened to Joe Johnson’s 3-point shot?
Speaking of jump shots . . .
J.J. is having his least efficient season scoring since he came to Atlanta (while still leading the team in usage percentage). A big part of the reason for that is his 3-point shooting, which is at a career-low 28.9 percent for the season.
If the elbow injury explained the poor shooting before, it doesn’t seem to be a factor now.
Since January, a month when Joe was on a tear, he’s 38 of 122 (31 percent) on 3-pointers. The more time that passes since the surgery, the worst J.J.s 3-point shooting gets: 23 of 65 in January, 13 of 39 in February and 2 of 18 to start this month. He’s 2 for 23 on 3s in his last five games. With his free-throw rate still so low, all of those missed 3-pointers are dragging down J.J.’s efficiency (not to mention his production).
Joe said weeks ago that the elbow feels better. He also says he feels fresher this season because of the games he’s missed–he’s on pace to play 2,642 minutes, his fewest for a full season since he came off the bench for the Suns in 2002-03.
J.J. said open looks haven’t been a problem. So if J.J. is getting good shots and he’s feeling good, why aren’t his 3-pointers falling?
“I don’t know,” he said. “It just happens, man. They will fall [eventually].”
He said he doesn’t change his routine during times like this.
“Playing in this league, this is my 10th year, I just try to keep a short memory,” J.J. said. “I don’t worry about the last game. I just move forward. That’s the kind of attitude you have got to have. So that’s my approach.”
L.D. isn’t sure that’s been working for J.J.
Drew said he went back and looked at video of J.J.s last several games to analyze his 3-point shots.
“If there is one thing that I notice with his 3, at times, he hesitates,” Drew said. “There is kind of a pause there before he lets it go. I don’t know if that if affects him or not. We went back and looked at some tape as far as Utah. We looked at his feet position, his shoulders; whether he is leading with his right side; is he hesitating, is he bunny-hopping into the shot, is he ‘one-two’ into the shot.”
Lester Conner met with J.J. after Thursday’s practice to show him what the video breakdown of his 3-point shots.
“[They were better] when he caught it and went into rhythm and let it go,” L.D. said. “I’m not saying they are always going to go in, but I really want him not even thinking about it. I want him catching it and going right into his shot. A lot of players when they are wide open they will take their time going into the shot. I think that is one of the worst things you can do. You have got to shoot that thing like someone is coming at you.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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155 comments Add your comment
RaJaH
March 11th, 2011
2:39 pm
Lol @ Samuel… Woody was garbage! Enough said.
drmaryb (*_-)
March 11th, 2011
2:41 pm
Dawg Daze!
Here is an interesting piece of history re: the dismantling of a dynasty due to: egos, pride, arrogance and stupidity.
How you handle past success, determines your future.
_________________________
A partial quote from phil jackson,
“But contentious contract negotiations between the Bulls and Jordan and Jackson made it difficult to continue. Especially because Krause allegedly told Jackson that even if the Bulls won 82 games that season, “You’re [bleeping] gone!” “There were other challenges we’d have to overcome to win again,” Jackson said. “After Dennis Rodman had played at such high level for three years, at age 35, he still could have played athletically. But his other distractions on the floor, his emotions and mind-set could have tipped in the wrong direction. Scottie and Michael could have played through their injuries. But we would have needed Rodman to dominate as a rebounder, defender and passer to put us over the top.” Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, Coaching, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman
Rufus1
March 11th, 2011
2:42 pm
yessir
If I was the coach we would atleast have a PG and Josh wouldn’t be shoting jumpshots….Lol
Rufus1
March 11th, 2011
2:44 pm
“shooting”
yessir
March 11th, 2011
2:49 pm
How would you have a pg if the owners/gm wont get you one. You have to play the hand you are dealt. With the hand Woody was dealt I think he played it pretty good. LD got the same hand and screwed it up
Samuel
March 11th, 2011
2:50 pm
Raj,
You don’t seem to get it. Woody had these guys playing over their heads. It’s pretty evident right now.
drmaryb (*_-)
March 11th, 2011
2:51 pm
A rebounder, defender and passer was required in addition to MJ and Pippen? Imagine that? Even two HOF’ers need help. We don’t even have one HOF’er, I guess we need a miracle!
Rufus1
March 11th, 2011
2:51 pm
LD being a bad coach, doesn’t make Woody a good coach.
If my girl is uglier than your girl, that doesn’t make you girl pretty….JUST 2 UGLY GIRLS!!!
yessir
March 11th, 2011
2:55 pm
It makes her prettier than your girl. Just like Samuel said, you guys just don’t get it. The Hawks were playing over the heads cause of Woody. You guys wanted Avery Johnson, he dont have the Nets playing over their heads.
Samuel
March 11th, 2011
2:56 pm
When I think of Rodman, I think of the potential of Josh Smith. If he would only realize that there are more than one way to make it to being a great ballplayer. Rodman is the perfect example. Freakish athletic ability and passion for the game but directed it in the right direction:rebounding and defending. Josh needs a Jordan/type player to direct him in the right direction, unfortunately we don’t have that.
Samuel
March 11th, 2011
2:59 pm
Yessir,
And don’t forget they wanted Byron Scott, Flip Sanders and Mark Jackson
Rufus1
March 11th, 2011
3:01 pm
yessir
It is call player development. You must 1st understands its importance to your teams success, then accept the highs and lows in the process.
Woody was more concerned with the WIN TOTAL, THAN CREATING A CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM… He was BUM!!!
The Hawks have often been criticized for not living upto their talent….That means their talent was better than their performance….He was BUM!!!!
yessir
March 11th, 2011
3:01 pm
Thanks Samuel. Bring back Woody!!!!! Fire Rufus
Rufus1
March 11th, 2011
3:03 pm
Nobody wanted LD…
yessir
March 11th, 2011
3:04 pm
But you wanted the other coaches that Samuel brought up. What are they doing now??????
Samuel
March 11th, 2011
3:11 pm
Rufus,
Pretty much everybody here said “anybody but Woody”. So who were your suggestions and where are they now?
Tremaine
March 11th, 2011
3:17 pm
I wanted somebody with a backbone like Avery Johhson or Mark Jackson. After it was known that the hawks couldn’t afford Avery Johnson and the player were pushing for Larry Drew, I wanted Mark Jackson. You can say what you want but the hawks quit on Larry Drew last year also. He was the assistant coach.
a1andonly
March 11th, 2011
3:30 pm
DUNK JOE!!!!!!!
a1andonly
March 11th, 2011
3:30 pm
DUNK JOE!!!!!!!!!!
Rufus1
March 11th, 2011
3:35 pm
I wanted anybody except the assistant coach…
Rock Preston
March 11th, 2011
3:36 pm
Joe Johnson is as soft as they come. That cat never attacks the rim. A 120 million 3-point shooter is all he is. What a joke. I bet Kobe and the real stars laugh their arses off when they see him coming down the floor. He even looks out of place int he All Star Game. Everyone attacks in that game but he still floats to the 3 point line on a fast break.
Sautee
March 11th, 2011
3:36 pm
The game has changed said this:
“Kobe and Joe are the only shooting guards to avg 20,5,5 the last five years. Now take that to the bank.”
Flat out lie. Joe has only averaged over 5 rebounds once in his 10 year career and that was his last year in Phoenix.
Here’s the link to his career stats: http://www.nba.com/playerfile/joe_johnson/career_stats.html
Rufus1
March 11th, 2011
3:39 pm
I wanted anybody except the assistant coach…
Once LD became the coach I embraced the HOPE of positive change.
Sautee
March 11th, 2011
3:43 pm
If Woodson is ALL THAT GOOD, why is he still unemployed?
Has he actually even interviewed for a job? I remember he was mentioned in Charlotte, but I think they hired Silas without interviewing Woody.
Pretty telling, if you ask me.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 11th, 2011
3:46 pm
Just because you replace dog sh-t with elephant sh-t doesn’t mean the dog sh-t is suddenly edible. Firing Woody was, is, and will always have been the right move.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 11th, 2011
3:49 pm
I wanted Tom Thibodeau to at least get an interview.
prison mike
March 11th, 2011
3:51 pm
There is no such thing as a obese cat in the jungle.
One dimensional max player that happens to play for my beloved hawks. You would think If you rank at the worst shooter at your position you could switch it up???
6-8 240 and nothing but a supple meal for apex predators in the league.
http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/player/_/stat/3-points/sort/threePointFieldGoalPct/position/shooting-guards/count/41
prison mike
March 11th, 2011
3:54 pm
Hate or love kobe but you respect kobe, prime example lost in miami. He was appalled he lost to the cheat.
RaJaH
March 11th, 2011
3:55 pm
My point exactly Najeh.
tony
March 11th, 2011
3:56 pm
This team needs better coaching.
HIRE BILL LAIMBEER!
Tremaine
March 11th, 2011
3:57 pm
BILL LAIMBEER. I can dig it!
drew
March 11th, 2011
4:05 pm
he never had one
Sautee
March 11th, 2011
4:09 pm
prison mike,
And then there’s this: Joe Johnson: 15th in the league in Field Goals Attempted, but 73rd in the league in Free Throws Attempted.
That’s pathetic to have the ball that much and get so few FTs.
D.S.G.B.
March 11th, 2011
4:11 pm
i say we reinvent the hawks and try the whole keep core together with a different core. make the moves necessary to get ben hansbrough and jimmer fredette in our backcourt to go along with al horford for the next ten years!!!!!!!!!
terrell
March 11th, 2011
4:12 pm
So just because LD sucks, it means that Woody was a good coach? You know better than that Samuel. THEY BOTH SUCK! Would it matter if you were the cleanest thing in a garbarge can? Your’re still trash regardless..
JeJe
March 11th, 2011
4:13 pm
Why is there a blog about Joe’s 3 pt shooting?
There should be a blog about why Joe has been pretty much garbage all year except for January when he was making a push for the All Star Team
Tremaine
March 11th, 2011
4:13 pm
No Boozer, Deng uncertain. Should be an easy win for the hawks tonight.
Tremaine
March 11th, 2011
4:17 pm
PLEASE DON’T COMPARE JOE TO KOBE EVER AGAIN!
By Pat Mixon (Lakers Featured Columnist) on March 11, 2011 BleacherReport.com
Gladiator and warrior Bryant did what is the most rare of rare in the NBA. He stayed in the road arena and worked on his game. Not for 30 minutes, but for an hour and a half. Players might do that at home, get an after-game workout in, but on the road? Never.
If you ever wanted to know what separates Bryant from the pack, this is it. At the end of this workout, he quoted the Greek legend Achilles, “I want what all men want. I just want it more.”
tony
March 11th, 2011
4:19 pm
Bill Laimbeer
“It’s time for me to be doing something else,” he said at a news conference. “I want to coach in the NBA, and I think it was not fair to the Shock to try to coach them while my focus and passion were somewhere else. I don’t have another job, but it is something I want to explore. Whether it is a head coaching job or something as an assistant, that’s what I want to do.”
terrell
March 11th, 2011
4:22 pm
Woody and LD startin to remind me of Stotts and Krueger. Boy, those were the days. lol! Hindu, Chris Crawford, Cal Bowdler, etc.., contracts killed us back then. JJ’s”Marvin’s, Zaza’s, etc… killin us today. Some things never change.
Samuel
March 11th, 2011
4:25 pm
Sure,
You’re on the Tom T wagon since he’s winning. I can dig that. I like the way Tom has Chitown playing. Don’t hurt to have an MVP QB either. Naj, he probably didn’t want to interview here. Rose, Boozer, Deng and Noah. Who wouldn’t want to go there. LD was probably all they could get. After all he’s the lowest paid in the league. I guess you get what you pay for in this case. Bottom line is yall still think a “coach” can get this roster to “the next Level” and I don’t.
One thing for sure, LD is moving towards getting them to the next level. Lotto status.
Samuel
March 11th, 2011
4:28 pm
Sautee,
Are you saying that getting a job makes you a good coach?
lewis
March 11th, 2011
4:42 pm
The Hawks are punching above their weight as it is. Atlanta is 10 games above .500, but it has a +0.4 point differential (seventh in the East), and is mediocre across the board in most offensive, defensive, and rebounding metrics. The only area where the Hawks excel is in three-point field goal percentage defense, where they rank third league-wide (33.4%).
drmaryb (*_-)
March 11th, 2011
4:42 pm
Actually,
Scott Brooks, Tom T. And Larry Drew all have comparable contracts, (correct me if I’m wrong here). I think the coach of Milwaukee also re-signed for what Drew signed for as well.
I think this is correct. I’m just too lazy to look that up right this minute.
LuellaPatterson
March 11th, 2011
4:56 pm
Whoever said DONT COMPARE JOE JOHNSON TO KOBE BRYANT does not know basketball and has an IQ of -197. When Mike Woodsen guided the Hawks to the playoffs 4 years ago when they faced the Boston Celtics, who were the eventual world champions, as most of you remember the Hawks PUSHED the CELTICS TO 7 GAMES AND LOST GAME 7 BY ABOUT 40 POINTS. What most people dont remember is that at that particular moment in history (before LaBron James won his 2 league MVP trophies), Joe Johnson was the second best closer in the game behind Kobe Bryant. In fact, Joe was the second best player in the entire league. Not much has changed. Joe is now third behind Kobe and LaBron, thats it. Joe is hands down the third best player in the league and most of you dont appreciate him for what he is: one of the most dynamic basketball players to ever live and until this point: a certain first ballot hall of famer as soon as his playing career is over. JOE JOHNSON IS GREAT, AND ITS TIME MOST YOU START APPRECIATING HIM.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 11th, 2011
4:58 pm
I didn’t know Joe Johnson’s grandma moved into the same old folks’ home as Marvin’s grandma.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 11th, 2011
5:02 pm
“You’re on the Tom T wagon since he’s winning.”
I posted back in July that I wanted him to get an interview.
QuikdrawMcGraw
March 11th, 2011
5:07 pm
lewis: you made a good point. I said the same thing just the other day. Although the Hawks are now ONLY 10 GAMES OVER .500, as soon as they play their next 10 ballgames, they will be sitting at .500. Its a shame because this team could have won their division. Ive always said when the Hawks were once 20 games over .500 that they wouldnt keep it up and would start sliding backwards. That was just about the time of the Kirk Hinrich trade and the backhill slide has continued ever since. The Hawks will finish the season 37-45, which means I’m expecting them to lose ALL OF THEIR REMAINDING GAMES, but it will still be good enough for them to made the playoff. The Hawks stink and the management must find try desparately to find some idiot to buy the team and and get this pathetic product out of Atlanta during the offseason.
doc
March 11th, 2011
5:18 pm
najeh, on another blog JSS stated that tom t turned down the hawks then gave his reference which was a boston source. he simply said he didnt want anything to do with us when permission was requested to interview him through the boston team. that is what i suspected that he didnt want to come here and why he didnt interview here. i think he looked at the hornets and that was it though others were given permission. selah
no dmb, i dont think they signed for anything close to what LD signed for. brooks and tom t got legit dollars along with others making moves. tom t probably got what LD gets or close to it as the lead assistant in boston is my guess.
W.R.Terrell
March 11th, 2011
5:20 pm
Well I guess there will be some JUMP SHOOTING tonight when the “SOFT’S” play the BULLS. They are jump shooters you know according to ISO Joe. I could understand if they were like Reggie Miller or Ray Allen or even Dirk, but, these boys are not that good as far as shooting. That “smoove” person a jump shooter. He needs to jump off the team because he keeps shooting us in the foot. What happened to ISO Joe’s 3 point shot?..It’s called 20 million a year, guaranteed to turn a good player into a soap opera. Does Marvin who is starvin for production have any kind of shot, be it jumper or set shot. I know this much and that is the BULLS will go ZONE because of all the dangerous jump shooters we have and if we manage to win again over the BULLS, its what it was the first time, “FOOLS GOLD”. Here’s the funny part, that “smoove” fella looks over at LD to see if that was the right shot to take at that time. Can we say “MOZO and BOZO? You mean to tell me that a grown man whose making damn near 12 mill a year don’t know if he’s takened a bad shot?.. I’m not going to say what I feel but one word sums it up, it starts with a “D and ends with a “B” with a vowel and syllable in the middle. I am going to watch the game, it’s kinda like a comedy show now, if you don’t get disgusted you wind up laughing.