Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Miami’s band of brothers
G Tyler Johnson pleased last year’s group was kept intact
KENDALL — It is the bargain first struck with Miami Heat President Pat Riley at last season’s trading deadline and one that endured through the twists and turns of last month’s NBA free agency:
If you build on it, they will come back stronger.
It proved to be the case with the Heat going 30-11 over the second half of last season, with guard Tyler Johnson saying Tuesday he expects last season’s core to pick up where it left off.
“I remember Riley telling us after the trade deadline he wanted to keep the team together just to give us a chance,” Johnson said during a break in his visit to the team’s youth camp at Miami-Dade College. “He wanted to give us the to compete and try to make the playoffs. Obviously we fell short of that goal, but with the way that team was headed and the way we bonded and the way things have been going this summer, all I was hoping for during free agency was that we brought back the guys who were in the trenches last season.”
So back are James Johnson, Dion Waiters and Wayne Ellingopportunity
ton, who all had to sweat out free agency, as well as the other foundational pieces of last season’s roster, now with the pressure to sustain what was created over the final three months of last season.
“With the way I’ve seen this summer go, guys holding each other accountable already, it’s something that I haven’t experienced,” Johnson said. “Now we’re pushing each other to be better every single day in summer time.”
After returning last season on a four-year, $50 million free-agent contract, Johnson said he does not expect similar July hauls by James Johnson and Waiters to sate their hunger.
“I know that the character of the guys on our team isn’t, ‘OK, now everybody feels comfortable,’ ” Johnson said. “I think that they’re going to prove that they kind of have the chip on their shoulder that I had, was that, ‘Now, I’m going to prove that I’m worth it.’ ”
For Tyler Johnson, the 2017-18 dynamic could change in one respect, with James Johnson possibly to continue in the starting role he assumed at the end of last season.
“I felt comfortable that no matter who we come off the bench with, we’ll be just as much of a problem as we were last,” Tyler Johnson said, “but it would be cool to do Johnson & Johnson again. It was something that I hadn’t really experienced as far as having that type of chemistry with another teammate, where we played off of each other so much.”
There have been several subtle tweaks of the roster, with the free-agent signing of former Boston Celtics forward Kelly Olynyk and the first-round selection of Kentucky big man Bam Adebayo.
Johnson said he expects nothing less than a pest with Olynyk.
“I know I hated playing against him,” he said. “I’m assuming that he’s one of those guys that you hate to play against but you love to have on your team. I saw how important he was to that Boston squad. So I think he’ll be a good fit for this team.”
Johnson caught Adebayo in action during a visit to the Las Vegas summer league.
“I didn’t realize how versatile he was,” he said. “He was pushing the floor, grabbing rebounds, and leading the break. I wasn’t expecting that, especially for a guy as big as he is. So that kind of caught me off guard, and then his athleticism.”
As far as versatility goes, there remain questions about whether Tyler Johnson can yet emerge as the Heat’s backup point guard.
“I mean obviously you want to get better every year,” he said. “I’m not necessarily worried about, ‘Oh, I’ve got to be more of a playmaker or try to change my game.’ All I’m trying to do is just get better in the things that I already bring to the team. And in doing that, I think you’ll see my game develop as I continue to play.”