10-08-2008, 05:52 PM
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 | Member+ | | Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 1,926
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| Re: Amir will start at PF
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2007-08 season: Remind me again why this guy didn't play more? (Flip Saunders) Johnson shot 55.8 percent, had the second-best rate of blocks in basketball, ranked in the top third of centers in rebound rate, and lost his minutes in the postseason to Theo Ratliff. Really.
Sure, he's a bit raw. Johnson was mistake-prone, with 10 offensive fouls and six illegal defense violations in just 769 minutes, and he wasn't always in the right spots on D. But he was also devastatingly effective, ranking 14th among centers in PER. (...and #1 in Fouls!) There is absolutely nothing in his track record to suggest this was a fluke either -- his numbers from his previous two D-League seasons and his scraps of NBA time have all been outstanding.
Scouting report: Johnson is listed at 6-9 because that was his height when he turned pro out of high school, but he now appears to be 6-11 or even seven feet. (this article is WAY out of date. AJ is at least 7'4'' by now!) He has a thin frame and still needs to add muscle, and he has no perimeter game to speak of -- last year he was 5-for-26 on shots outside the immediate basket area.
However, he's a freak of an athlete. Johnson has made at least one crowd-wowing play every time I've seen him perform, whether it be a flying swat or a soaring follow dunk, and despite his slender frame he's a superb rebounder. Right now his biggest issue is his propensity for turnovers (actually, FOULS), but otherwise he appears to be one of the game's top big man prospects, a Marcus Camby in the making. (I'd LOVE it if he could ascend from the #9 spot to be the next Marcus Camby!)
2008-09 outlook: Johnson unquestionably needs to play more (should happen unless Joe decides to bring Flip back), but it's hard to see how he'll crack a rotation that includes Antonio McDyess, Rasheed Wallace, Jason Maxiell, and Kwame Brown (actually, I's AJ's job to lose). OK, scratch that last part (Giant Turd), but the first three guys will be difficult to displace. Somehow, the Pistons need to get this kid (he's still only 21) at least 20 minutes a night to let him develop, because game experience is probably his biggest need (I agree!) and he's shown he can run with the big boys.
| It sounds like I rip on Amir a lot but I'm actually in his corner. I like the part about him developing in to the next Marcus Camby! - That would be RAD!  |