Amir Johnson - Sioux Falls Skyforce Tracker

Nice to see Amir working on his 3 point shot.

I can definitely see him as a 3. Nice touch on a fall away jumper and a great looking jump hook. He would be unstoppable one on one as a 3 once he develops a mid range face up jumper.

I would not be in favor of him bulking up to play a 2. I think it would reduce his quickness and leaping abilities which are clearly two of his great attributes. I would rather see him develop a face up mid range face up jumper, which as a 3 would probably be unblockable.

It looks like Idaho is swarming Amir when he touches the ball... he'll have to learn to quickly pass out.

The Skyforce lost to the Stampede 105-97 tonight.

Amir: 44 minutes, 19 points (9-12 field, 1-2 line), 7 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls

Will: 26 minutes, 5 points (2-7 field with 1 three), 8 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 0 turnovers, 4 fouls

boxscore

Amir has some really nice looking offensive moves in the paint.

Job, Lurk.

i wonder if amir will still have to "earn it" when he comes up and plays with the nba team. it's sad that we have talent like this in our organization but never see the light. i hope we do the right thing with amir and develop him and get our money worth out of him while he's a budget player.

One game is not enough to judge a player, but off of what I have read about Amir and saw last night against Idaho, I will state:

1. No way he can play either as a #1 or #2 with his current physical makeup. If he can build his strength up to the level of Big Ben's then he could, but as of now his body just doesn't cut it for either of those positions.

2. He only shot one jumper the whole night and that was a pretty fall away. Almost every time he got the ball he went to the hoop with a twisting body motion, that lead to hook shot or jump hook. The exceptions being the one put back and the two ally oops. His only shot facing the basket was an awkward looking 3 point attempt.

3. He definitely needs to develop a face up jumper with a range of up to 20 feet, however up to 15 feet would probably be good enough initially.

4.Without a a face up jumper and/or additional body strength he will never be more than a back up.

Now I am not saying he can't develop the body strength, after all he is still only 19, or not develop a face up jumper. I am just saying that it appears to me off of what I saw last night and have read about him that if he is to become a starter in the NBA that that is what he will need to do. Obviously if he does both or the better.

1- Point Guard
2- Shooting Guard
3- Small Forward
4- Power Forward
5- Center

I saw the game last night too, and I'm not impressed with the level of play in the D-league it looks like a pick up game. I think College Ball takes more skill and more of a basketball IQ. Amir looked like he can play the 4 spot but he definately is not a center right now.

The D-League has announced its All-League Team, and Amir's not on it despite averaging more points and boards than any of the forwards.

They don't give any selection criteria, so maybe he hadn't played enough games. Perhaps he's seen as an NBA player on vacation or something. But they should sharpen their criteria anyway. I don't see why a developmental league should honor a 32-year-old guy like Randy Livingston, who's been on a half-dozen NBA teams.

That's just lazy. It would have taken 30 seconds to look up.

So, here is the actual breakdown for Maxiell's blocks last year vs. this year:

Rookie year:
5 blocks total
.2 blocks per game
1.26 blocks per 40 min

Sophmore year:
54 blocks total (increased by 49)
.9 blocks per game (increased by .7)
2.61 blocks per 40 min (increased by 1.25)


How do you get one of those rightin' job anyway?

Hate to be the one who talks negative about this threaad, but I wish it was discussing how well Amir is doing coming off the Piston bench instead of how good he doing in the D league.

With only 7 games left, Joe should have Flip experimenting with AJ in the big league to bang with the pros, not the semi pros and wannabees. Yes he get some experience down there and plenty of PT, but if other highschoolers can learn playing along in real competition, then give the kid a chance before the season ends. Dale can be de-activated for five games to give AJ some burn...

Me too.

Why not?

The D-League regular season ends April 14, and then they will hold a set of five single-elimination playoff games (looks like the schedule isn't out yet). The Pistons finish the regular season on April 18.

Bringing Amir back to Detroit for some regular-season games would mean pulling him out of the D-League playoffs. My guess is that the Pistons will let him stay in the D-League if that's what he wants.

Agreed. He's still a kid. A D-league championship run would be good experience for him and continue to build his character.

Assuming Joe lets him stay in SF for D-playoffs, the question is whether or not Joe puts him on the Piston playoff roster...the limit is 12, correct?

no you still get to have 15 but i think 12 active before each series instead of each game? or maybe i'm wrong (probably)