MGrand15 wrote:You guys need to temper expectations for Johnson. He was awful this year and got waived by PHX who badly needs a good guard. Not great before that. He's had like one pretty good year in the league. This isn't some proven vet were bringing in. He's on his way out of the league. No way he starts but he'll battle with Crawford for minutes. Not saying he's terrible but he's not jumping ahead of Temple in the rotation.
I feel all of this. Tyler was never a target of PHX nor a fit for their system, he was money-matching ballast for the Ryan Anderson salary dump. Still, the Suns have weak guard depth, and he couldn't consistently lock down a role, you're right. My gut feeling is that the reports of him dealing with injury recovery most of the season impacted his level of play in Phoenix. Supposedly, he's finally fully healthy, and his production all 4 seasons in MIA paint the picture of a high-level role-player.
I would even agree with you, that he may not be better than Temple. I like Temple alot, and whomever starts, both of these guys will get solid PT, as I illustrated in my depth chart MG breakdown. For that 5th starter spot, I felt it had more to do with who fits better in which lineup. I feel that Johnson/Crawford would be a clunky backcourt pairing, but who knows, they were teammates in PHX. One thing Tyler has going for him, is he's a superior rebounder, and as much as we'll need it, that could break the tie.
