Johnson and Tinsley

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>]

ESPN.com did a nice feature on Jamaal Tinsley (would have been a nice pick
at 21) and spotlighted Joe Johnson in their rookie report. Interesting
Tinsley note: Apparently Boston was one of the places he wanted to go
because he's friends with Toine and Pierce. Anyway, I'm not posting the
whole Tinsley piece, but here's what they said about Joe (who has been
really, really good so far):


*  Background: Is 6-7, 225 pounds. Was 10th pick in draft by the Celtics out
of Arkansas.
*  What he's done: Johnson picked a good home, or had a good home picked for
him. The Celtics were desperate for another scorer, and Johnson showed in
college he could fill a role like that. A swingman who does have range,
Johnson is third among rookies in scoring (behind Speedy Claxton
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3419>  and Pau Gasol
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3513> ) and shooting
an incredible .542 from the field. He's coming off a 16-point, 10-rebound
game against MJ's Wizards, in which it was he and not Paul Pierce
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3253>  entrusted with
covering Michael Jordan
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=175> . Johnson passed
the test. Johnson is getting shots and minutes. 

*  What he's not done: It's nit picking a bit, but after four games Johnson
looked a tad one-dimensional. In two of his first four games he didn't
garner a rebound, and he's not getting assists either. Also, he doesn't get
to the foul line. However, he crashed the boards against Washington and
while he only has 12 assists on a team with a bad point guard, he also has
turned the ball over only one time. Watch him get more aggressive in the
future and get to the line more. 
*  What people say: "I think I can continue to score," Johnson said. "It's a
matter of confidence. I don't worry about scoring and I don't come out and
put up a great number of shots. I come down and take the shots if they are
there. And I shouldn't be making many turnovers. I give my all but I don't
rush the offense. I take my time." 

*  What people say, Part II: "If I had to compare [Johnson] to some people,
I would say he is a combination of Antoine and Paul," Celtics coach Jim
O'Brien said. "Like Paul, he seems to have the confidence and feeling that
he belongs right away and he's not intimidated. He knows how to score, to
make threes, and he is a phenomenal ballhandler. I would like to see him
more like Paul in going one-on-one and take the man without dribbling." 
*  Our final word: So far, nobody's complaining in Beantown about Johnson.
While the Celtics have other issues, mainly severe problems in the middle
and at the point, they should be able to win their share of games with Paul
Pierce and Antoine Walker
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3112>  combining for
50 points a night and Johnson being a solid third scorer. Johnson's progress
shouldn't be impeded too much by the bigger scorers, but put him on a team
like Chicago and he might light it up. For now, he's doing nicely.