Houston Rockets: Nick Johnson Year End Review

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Apr 26, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Nick Johnson (3) drives to the basket during the game against the Dallas Mavericks in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Rockets 121-109. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Playoff Stats:

Given his disparaging totals with the main club, one would imagine he wouldn’t even have made it on the court for the post season, but the fact is he did appear in 9 post season games. Mostly due to the fact Beverley was out, so his presence was meant solely to provide a rest for Jason Terry or Pablo Prigioni and to give a different defensive look to the opposing guards.

Games: 9
Playing Time/Average Minutes Per Game: 5.4 mpg
Points: 1.3 ppg
Assists: 0.4
Rebounds: 0.4
Blocks: 0.1
Field Goal Percent: 23.5%
3-Point Percent: 14.3%
Free Throw Percent: 100.0% (took just 3 free throws)

The Future:

Obviously this off season the Summer League will be a valuable time to pinpoint the specific areas of growth Johnson should focus on prior to training camp. This will allow the Rockets to ascertain how quickly he will be able to reach their desired growth levels and whether they should assign him to an international team, the D League or have him on the core squad.

It’s unlikely they’ll release him with no benefit to the team and as I mentioned previously his low cost salary is a key benefit to the teams’ salary cap.

At the same time Morey may determine without playing time Johnson won’t be able to grow to his potential. Let’s keep an eye on how well he performs in Summer League and revisit this once Morey and the Rockets lock down their team for the 2015-16 season.

Next: Winners and Losers of the Draft

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