Atlanta Hawks: Joe Johnson’s D has been strong, too
Much of the discussion about Joe Johnson’s season has focused on his offensive surge since Al Horford went down. And rightly so: In 11 games without Horford, Johnson has averaged 21.2 points per 36 minutes with a 55.9 true shooting percentage (by the way, his 54 percent TS mark for the season ranks fifth among shooting guards playing 30-plus minutes).
With Al sidelined, Joe has made 87 percent of his free throws and 40 percent of his 3-pointers and has eight games of 20-plus points and two with 30 or more. Like all things Hawks lately, those numbers come with the caveat of competition: Since Al went down, the Hawks have faced just three opponents ranked in the top half of the league in defensive efficiency: Minnesota, Portland, and Philadelphia. Still, Joe is balling.
But Johnson’s defense has been overlooked even thought the best available objective evidence suggest he’s also having a very good year on that end of the court.
According to Synergy, Johnson has allowed just .71 points per possession, ranked No. 42 among all players. (Synergy had him allowing .93 points per possession in 2010-11 and .89 in 2009-10). This season Joe has been very good when defending in isolation (.56 ppp allowed, ranked 13th), against screen-roll ball-handlers (.69 ppp, ranked 33rd) and chasing his man off screens (.69 ppp, ranked seventh). Joe’s only defensive weakness this season, according to Synergy, has been defending spot-ups: .94 ppp, ranked 113th.
Opponent PER tells the same story. According to 82games.com, Johnson’s foes at shooting guard have posted a paltry 8.6 PER and small forwards have managed just a 12.6 PER. (The opponent PER is ugly when Joe has been at point guard but that has only been a couple minutes, according to 82games.) Last season Joe’s opponent PER was 11.6 at shooting guard and 12.9 at small forward; in 2009-10, those numbers were 15.3 and 14.4, respectively.
Joe’s on-court, off-court numbers at basketballvalue.com also are positive. The Hawks have allowed 6.24 fewer points per 100 possessions with Joe on the court. And it doesn’t appear as if his strong numbers here depend on having Al and Josh Smith behind him: Joe has been part of strong defensive units that featured Zaza Pachulia or Jason Collins at center and even one lineup with Vladimir Radmanovic at power forward.
If you want to pick at nits, you can use the same “weak opponent” argument for Joe’s defensive matchups. The Hawks have faced six shooting guards who are top 15 in PER: Dwyane Wade, Kevin Martin, MarShon Brooks, Mike Miller, Sundiata Gaines and Danny Green. Of those players, Martin (27 points on 20 shots) and Brooks (36 points on 26 shots in two games) had strong scoring games against Joe (though that’s not to say Joe was solely responsible).
Also, Joe hasn’t been able to maintain the flashes of strong defensive rebounding he’s shown. Then again, he’s raised his block rate from almost nothing last season to something this year and has also increased his steals rate a bit.
I think it’s accurate to say Joe has been excellent on offense but also very good on defense this season. Of course he’ll have to do both when the competition stiffens and stakes are higher but, so far, he’s raised his level of play just like he said he would.
Notes
- Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports adds the Lakers to the list of suitors for Kenyon Martin and echoes earlier reports that Martin is seeking a large role for a contender. Adam Zagoria reports that Martin is expected to make a decision by the end of the week. I’m guessing Martin also is looking for money because of my oft-proven theory that guys are almost always looking for that above all else (and Martin just lost money with his Chinese adventure). The Clippers, Knicks and Spurs can offer more than the minimum. The Hawks can, too, but likely won’t because it would mean paying the tax.
- I haven’t heard anything to indicate the Hawks are making a bid for Chris Kaman. Reports indicate New Orleans is looking for a first-round pick, a quality young player and cap relief. Surely that price will come down as the deadline approaches but I don’t see the Hawks wanting or needing to make a deal like that. Kaman can help them because he’s a good post defender and rebounder when healthy, but at what cost for a three-month rental? Plus, the Hawks won’t do a deal that adds salary and they still aren’t sure if/when Horford will return this season.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
273 comments Add your comment
GDH
February 1st, 2012
4:32 pm
What about a trade for Troy Murphy?
Joe for 3
February 1st, 2012
4:34 pm
No.
Michael Cunningham
February 1st, 2012
4:35 pm
@Rufus1: “MC, I was reffering to KMart. Could we cut someone and offer him 2.5mil”
yes but it still would mean about $2 million of tax on top of K-Mart’s salary plus forfeiting the distribution for non-tax teams.
Slimjr
February 1st, 2012
4:36 pm
If Josh could have mastered the NBA jumpshot with an assortment of movement he would be compared to Lequeen…..
Michael Cunningham
February 1st, 2012
4:37 pm
@Najeh: “Joe hasn’t been up against a defender as tough as Tony Allen in weeks.”
Iggy? then again, you saw how that went.
KBB
February 1st, 2012
4:37 pm
@GDH
What about a trade for Troy Murphy?
Heck, anything would be better than trotting out Twin. He is worse than Zaza at EVERYTHING. This whole town is broke. The ajc is broke, the Spirit are broke, Liberty media is filthy rich but they spend like they are broke, the only entity with any money is Blank and his young ex wife is about to take him to the cleaners
FreshmakerGT
February 1st, 2012
4:38 pm
The Hawks could be set up for a good run this year. I think the fact that the core is still the same helps us out greatly. A lot of teams are adjusting to new coaches and new players with very little practice time due to the lockout. The players’ familiarity with each other and the system has made a big difference IMO. Combine that with the smart FA moves that Sund made (actually bringing in a bunch of guys that can shoot), and we could do some serious damage in the playoffs. Love the fact that we can rain threes like we’re Kentucky.
kwooden
February 1st, 2012
4:46 pm
I think Joe will have a better time with Allen than Iggs because Allen’s only around 6′ 3″-4″. Joe can at least post him up and shoot the fade-way, but with Iggs that wasn’t happening. If Joe posts-up and also gets in the lane for a few floaters I think he’ll be just fine, but I don’t expect 30 again either.
GO HAWKS!!
Slimjr
February 1st, 2012
4:51 pm
Problem with Tony, is Iso wont be able to out quick him…He wont score more that 17-21..
JOSH needs to get 20pts Thursday night!
doc
February 1st, 2012
5:00 pm
tony allen was huge last night and personally stopped andre miler one of my favorite gamers in the fourth quarter. the old “he was in his jock strap” held true. yup pretty old. bet some dont know what a cup really is.
Rufus1
February 1st, 2012
5:07 pm
We are not going to lose to MEM….
They don’t have enough OFFENSE OR DEFENSE to beat us….We owned them when Bibby was our PG, and they had their whole team…Also, Josh and Marvin own them.
Show a little faith in the Hawks…
kwooden
February 1st, 2012
5:09 pm
Slim, the problem is Speights is 6′10″ and athletic, Josh won’t be able to just drive by him and score. If Josh goes for 15 and 10, I will be happy. I think the bench needs to come-up big with good games from Tracy, Vlad and Ivan. Hopefully Hinich, Pargo and Green can slow down Mayo!
GO HAWKS!!
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
5:10 pm
Sekou’s Hang Time podcast is about the Hawks this week.
Slimjr
February 1st, 2012
5:11 pm
RIP DON CORNELIUS!
PEACE,LOVE AND SURE NOUGH SOUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
KevinM
February 1st, 2012
5:16 pm
“FreshmakerGT
February 1st, 2012
4:38 pm”
Fresh, if we get half the respect UK gets, things will be going great in the ATL.
Welcome back, MC…talk about a void from the regular day-2-day? That hiatus is a bit hard to take right in the middle of the season. Next time, suggest the AJC to not make you cover preseason games.
Now going forward, all we need from Joe is 20 vs. Memphis…I like our chances at that point. Teague needs to get 13 and I’ll feel even better.
Reward T-Mac with more minutes should Marvin not be at his best.
Runner-
February 1st, 2012
5:22 pm
Hawks lost $15 mill last year, no way in hell they will go over the threshold now, not with half the season almost already over
Slimjr
February 1st, 2012
5:25 pm
kwooden, I have a feeling that this game will be a double digit blowout for the Hawks!
Hawks Win!!!!!!!!!!!! Hawks Win!!!!!!
vava74
February 1st, 2012
5:28 pm
MC,
Good to see that you are back.
On the month of February:
Main problem, as usual, is focus.
With Al going down, cohesion and focus increased, not because we are better without Al but because we are mentally instable and weak.
When everyone is available it’s like these cats get laisier and rely on others stepping up, so it is more frequent to have more than one guy out of sync. That is what happens on “those nights”.
With Al down, they felt threatened/harrassed like a wounded animal and amped up their games.
My fear is that now that they completed a good series Of games under this mind set, they will feel comfortable again (I think we are already seeing some cracks on Josh’s focus).
If this materialises, then I see us going 4-9 during this month (I still believe that 7-6 is realistic and 9-4 possible).
On the MEM game:
I think JJ’s line will be 15 points on 5-12, 1-4, 4-4 4reb 8ass 3to 1st. – I would use him mainly at the sf slot.
Crucial players:
Josh must have a good game (let’s hope his shot is on since he will definitively shoot a few long ones).
Teague must dominate on both ends (my fear is LD increasing unjustifiably Hinrich’s numbers).
Zaza/Collins must make Gasol work for his points – if he shoots only .500 from the field and we do not allow them too many oReb, we should be ok.
Marvin cannot repeat his HOU performance when he simply did not show up on D. If he makes Gay work hard, we should be ok.
Finally, Pargo vs Pargo?
Slimjr
February 1st, 2012
5:29 pm
15 million loss? Then why did these Genius just spend 2 million on a Steak House and not spend 30grand to fix the freaking Score board?……………..Sheesh….
Just Joe
February 1st, 2012
5:30 pm
Pryzbilla to choose between Bulls & Heat by end of week. Rich get richer.
Rev in Tampa
February 1st, 2012
5:31 pm
I almost missed the story about Ivan. Thanks Najeh & doc for mentioning it. I’m glad I listened to it in its entirety rather than reading the edited transcript. The media player is down at the bottom of the page.
http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_488_The_Brink_Of_Sucess.mp3/view
Just Joe
February 1st, 2012
5:40 pm
If you protect the ball, you beat Memphis. They run strictly iso plays and score in transition off of turnovers. They are #1 in the league in forcing turnovers. We are 3rd in the league in fewest turnovers committed. They only shoot 32% from 3 as a team. Take care of the ball, keep them out of the paint, and we’ll be fine.
KevinM
February 1st, 2012
5:41 pm
“Just Joe
February 1st, 2012
5:30 pm
Pryzbilla to choose between Bulls & Heat by end of week. Rich get richer”
That right there is my reasoning why Sund should make a move or 2 now to get the best of what is available. We quite possibly be the only team in the league more concerned about the luxury tax than finding any way possible to get this team to the ECF and potentially the Finals.
Its there for the picking, especially when the Heat is still trying to figure themselves out.
WITGF!!
KevinM
February 1st, 2012
5:44 pm
The Grizz are a 4-7 road team with no Zach….gotta prevent Rudy from having his way….you prepping for him Marvin?
W. R. Terrell
February 1st, 2012
5:47 pm
The HAWKS are beginning to show signs of being a good basketball team. They are winning the games they should. I was surprised last eve that Josh was 3 for 7. Could it be that he’s learning the game of basketball. Tomorrow night will tell the story about Josh in a lot of ways. Philly is a game the HAWKS can win in a decisive manner if the HAWKS as a team play together. I hope LD uses the bench if some player (not mentioning any name)starts launching wild shots and imitates a bad point guard.
Joe is making his move a lot quicker on players that he has an advantage over and that is a good thing. Zsa, Zsa is finding his niche and it’s about time and Marvin is becoming comfortable and his game is finally emerging. This will continue if Josh plays to his strengths. The one thing I would like for Josh to do is give the ball to the point guard and run the floor, it would be very much appreciated and make the HAWKS even more prolific in their scoring.
The HAWKS will know something about themselves during this homestand. I am definitely hoping we are not seeing a mirage. Ivan is becoming a blessing and TMAC is getting his lege, Willie Green is definitely an asset and so is Pargo. The HAWKS have wingspan and atheleticism going for them in their starting forwards, it’s about time that POTENTIAL is reached and surpassed.
Shooter
February 1st, 2012
6:02 pm
What about Ben Wallace ?
My View
February 1st, 2012
6:03 pm
K-Mart makes me feel a whole lot better about the Hawks long term (this season) but I’m afraid that it won’t happen so I try not to think on it to much. Front court toughness/Def, rebounding, and depth are all positives that would propel us. The Hawks are playing so well right now. Beating the teams that we should beat save Mia at home. Not my money but K-Mart is worth paying the tax for.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
6:25 pm
If Przybilla signs with the Bulls he clearly is just in it for the money. He’s not even going to get playing time there behind Asik and Noah.
jay
February 1st, 2012
6:25 pm
In short, Joe seems healthy. He’s playing his game of smoothness. Needs to show up like that against quality though.
Sautee
February 1st, 2012
6:30 pm
Najeh,
Maybe Pryz is chasing a ring?
system configuration
February 1st, 2012
6:41 pm
Enter your comments here
system configuration
February 1st, 2012
6:42 pm
Whats the difference between Al Horford and Kwame Brown?
system configuration
February 1st, 2012
6:42 pm
Nothing
Just Joe
February 1st, 2012
6:51 pm
Kendrick Perkins averaging a very ZaZa-like 4.7 pts & 5.7 rebs in 26 minutes per game., and has 3 yrs and $25.5M left on his deal after this year.
With Maynor out, would they be interested in Kirk Hinrich for Perkins in order to clear some future cap space for the new deals that Westbrook, Ibaka & Harden will get in the next couple fo years?
O'Brien
February 1st, 2012
6:57 pm
RIP Don Cornelius. Suicide is alleged.
O'Brien
February 1st, 2012
7:01 pm
Najeh,
The Lakers have kicked the tires around on Gilbert Arenas, so we know they are looking for help. Maybe you should call them to ask about Hinrich for their Odom trade exemption (we know Rick Sund won’t).
But which big would the Hawks get?
atlantaHAWKS
February 1st, 2012
7:03 pm
Great article on hoopinion about the hawks chances of getting a top 4 seed for he playoffs.
“The 4 seed has required a winning percentage of 0.572 (38 wins) over the past decade. Taking into account two standard deviations gives 43 wins to “guarantee” a top 4 seed this season, which will require the Hawks go 27-17 the rest of the way.”
hoopinion has been posting some decent, albeit short articles about the hawks recently which i like.
http://www.edaboard.com/thread214386.html
atlantaHAWKS
February 1st, 2012
7:03 pm
And great to have you back MC!
i_am_soulstar
February 1st, 2012
7:17 pm
Marc Gasol’s gonna be a headache tomorrow. Really gonna need Zaza (or Collins) to get in that guy’s head.
Hawks Fan Down Under
February 1st, 2012
7:22 pm
Is there any chance we can trade Al for a big with inside presence? Al has salary of about $12mil and we could easily get a great player back in return.
System Update
February 1st, 2012
7:26 pm
“With Al going down, cohesion and focus increased”,
I couldn’t agree more. All the constant bickering about wanting to play another position, the refusal to assert in the post, the locker room fights, Tito getting involved, the leaks in the press, boy, it wasn’t about winning or playing as a team. It was all about what “Al” wanted and it destroyed the chemistry of the team.
Bottom line
this is a MUCH better team with out Al.
jlewis
February 1st, 2012
7:31 pm
Could it be JJ is healthy this year, maybe thats the something different. You can say what you want, but NO ONE in this league can guard JJ one on one, its been proven in the past, thats why every team double teams him.
Slimjr
February 1st, 2012
7:41 pm
nothing mechanical in this offense….
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
February 1st, 2012
7:44 pm
Prybilla choosing between Heat and Bulls
Good job going after him, ASG
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
February 1st, 2012
7:45 pm
Just like any other Hawks season, we started fast. Now we will be like 3 games over .500 after the month is over since we are playing real teams… *yawn*
Just Joe
February 1st, 2012
7:52 pm
3 games over .500 after the month is over would mean going 3 – 10 over the next 13 games. I don’t think things are that bad.
Astro Joe
February 1st, 2012
8:00 pm
MC, in lieu of writing a blog based on interviews, you could have just made up some ish like the rest of us do.
It is kind of interesting to see that the current blog features statistical analysis and articles from other NBA writers (as opposed to the aforementioned quotes from players/coaches). Kind of makes one wonder if the previous blog was left up for so long to prove a point (as opposed to a lack of material for a new one)?
northcyde
February 1st, 2012
8:04 pm
Rev in Tampa
February 1st, 2012
5:31 pm
I almost missed the story about Ivan. Thanks Najeh & doc for mentioning it. I’m glad I listened to it in its entirety rather than reading the edited transcript. The media player is down at the bottom of the page.
http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_488_The_Brink_Of_Sucess.mp3/view
************************
WOW @ this. One of the best interviews I’ve ever heard. Ivan is a man of few words, but what he says is right to the point. No matter what happens after the season is over, SOMEBODY is going to sign this dude and may give him a multi-million dollar contract.
He got his one chance in that Miami game on national TV, and has never looked back. He’s actually given our “soft” team a little spunk and toughness. When the playoffs come, that toughness will pay dividends for us.
skyhawk1
February 1st, 2012
8:10 pm
Why not trade for Kaman? Kirk + 2nd round for BIG Kaman…. David Stern would love to help our miserable franchise at some point….
O'Brien
February 1st, 2012
8:11 pm
From espn.com;
The Miami Heat, interested in any and all veteran big men who become available on the market, are in the race for two such players that could make their decisions by the end of the week. The Heat have offered contracts to both Joel Przybilla and Kenyon Martin, their agents told ESPN.com..
But Rick is ok with Zaza and Collins as our centers (although he is interested in Kenyon). One good reason for going after a guy like Pryz would be to keep him away from the other contenders. But Rick doesnt think that way.
I will be shocked if Kenyon signs with the Hawks.