• Last Updated on August 14, 2020 3:03 am by Mike Passador | Published: July 15, 2020

    James Johnson
    PF, Minnesota Timberwolves

    James Johnson bounced back a bit this season after a difficult 2018-19, ranking inside the top-175 in 8-cat, after he was traded mid-season from the Heat to the Wolves.

    Johnson was injured for much of the 2019 portion of the NBA schedule this year. He had a couple strong games for the Heat in January (most notably a 22-point, six-rebound effort vs. the Kings on January 20) that solidified the Wolves' confidence in trading for him. The Wolves shifted focus to their youth once Karl-Anthony Towns went down with injury, which happened to be right around the time Johnson joined the squad. He was dynamite in Minnesota, producing top-80 value with 12.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 triples per game on a clean .500 from the field. Johnson will very likely make the decision to exercise his $16 million player option for 2020-21, which is a no-brainer from his point of view because it's extremely hard to see him getting that much if he tried his luck on the open market. He could be in line to start for the Wolves next season if everything stays how it is now, but fellow forward Juan Hernangomez (who was also acquired by the Wolves in February) could push him for minutes. Hernangomez (24) is significantly younger than Johnson (33).

    July 15, 2020, 12:19 am