Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Miami’s Tyler Johnson is preparing for the backup role at point guard.
MIAMI— Heat guard Tyler Johnson was given the title almost by default.
With the team only having one true point guard on the roster, Johnson has inherited the backup position. Johnson spent last season learning the position but will spend even more time there now because the lack of point guards.
“I feel comfortable doing it,” Johnson said. “That’s where a lot of my reps have been the last two years both in practice and in games. So, I’m definitely starting to feel more comfortable out there. Obviously I still have more to learn. But I think I’m taking a lot of stuff in the right direction.”
Johnson was put in the spot once the Heat decided to waive Briante Weber and Beno Udrih, leaving starter Goran Dragic as the only point guard. Johnson has been used mostly as a combo guard during his tenure with the Heat.
“I used to have to just know my position and exactly where I need to be,” Johnson said. “Now, I need to know where everybody is supposed to be. If one person is in the wrong spot, it falls back on me. So I think that’s the biggest transition going from the two to the one.”
The Heat have eased the transition by allowing Johnson to get more reps at the point during the preseason. Last year Johnson averaged just 2.2 assists, a statistic that will have to improve if he wants to be a playmaker.
“We wanted to make sure every single one of his reps was at the point guard position more than anything to take more responsibility with his voice,” Spoelstra said. “It forces you to have to use your voice. It also forces you to have to look from a different perspective than if you’re playing off the ball. So I wanted him to see the whole picture, every single rep but I don’t want to box him into that. He’s so much more, as you saw in the preseason he’s playing off the ball, he’s playing on the ball, he can transition seamlessly during the course of the same game without it messing up his rhythm. It’s just helping him see the game at different levels.”
Johnson said he is in constant communication with Dragic to help speed the adjustment process. The two often talk about what Johnson needs to improve so he can become a reliable primary ball-handler.
“He just tells me different things he sees,” Johnson said. “I haven’t really gone up to him and asked him specifically any questions like that. But, whenever sitting on the bench or he sees something that I can do better he makes an effort to let me know about it.”
Although Johnson will handle most of the backup responsibilities, Spoelstra said the hole will be filled on a committee basis. Dion Waiters will also see time at the position as will Josh Richardson when he returns from injury.
“Right now the game is being played different,” Spoelstra said. “We play differently, whether you’re a ball-handler or a spacer and we have a lot of guys that can initiate offense off the dribble and might not be a classic point guard but they’re gotten enough reps where they feel comfortable doing that. That’s not only Tyler, that’s Dion, that’s Justise [Winslow], J-Rich when he comes back.”