Joe Johnson has to shake off cold start, play better
Joe Johnson was supposed to be the best playmaker on a Nets team that was lacking at the point guard spot to being the season. Now, five games into the year, the Nets are still missing a true point guard, but Johnson has hardly assumed a successful role.
Instead, Brook Lopez has been the only legitimate source of offense for a team that's 0-5 and that faces the winless Lakers at home Friday night, Brooklyn's best chance to earn its first win before the schedule gets far tougher over the weekend and through the next few weeks.
Johnson is shooting a mere 28 percent from the field so far, draining only 20 percent of his threes in the process. That has to change if the Nets want to come close to sniffing the postseason, says Newsday's Colin Stephenson:
Brooklyn's offense has been notably horrible so far this year, putting up the least-threatening three-point attack in the league while failing to get the ball to Lopez successfully on the inside. Johnson doesn't just have to make shots. He also has to find a way to facilitate for Lopez, because in the end, given the lack of talent on this team, putting the ball in the hands of the few playmakers on the roster will end up being the best way for the Nets to succeed.
Hollins wasn't about to point the finger at Johnson, the six-time All-Star who has a tendency to start seasons slowly. Johnson, the former Hawk who was traded to the Nets in 2012 to team with Lopez and Deron Williams, shot 1-for-10 against his old team, scoring five points.
"It hasn't been great," Johnson said of his early-season performance. "But I just keep coming in, working hard every day, trying to improve."
Johnson, 34, was bothered a while back by a bruised hand but insisted it is fine and has nothing to do with his lackluster shooting. He's certain that if he keeps at it, he'll shoot his way out of his slump.
Hollins said Johnson is a good enough all-around player to help the Nets in many ways even if his shot isn't falling.
