J. Johnson emotional over captaincy
Forward joins Haslem, Dragic as team’s leaders.
MIAMI — When James Johnson saw a floor to ceiling image of himself in the hallway leading to the Heat locker room, along with one of a clench-fisted Udonis Haslem inspiring his team and Goran Dragic lifting Hassan Whiteside after a winning shot, he teared up.
Johnson then became emotional once again when his peers were asked to vote for team captains and Johnson, along with “forever captain” Haslem and Dragic topped the ballot.
“It’s a great responsibility and it’s a big responsibility,” Johnson said following the Heat’s 112-108 home-opening win over the Pacers on Saturday night.
“It means the world to me that these guys voted for me to lead them, for them to follow me. I have great respect for them. Being the captain on this team don’t mean that I’m always saying what to do and everything I say is right. I also follow their lead, too. And I think that plays a big part in it.”
After Haslem served as the sole captain last season, coach Erik Spoelstra said it was time to add more leaders. He praised Haslem as being a “lifetime captain for however long he plays” and said Dragic is “ready for that next step of leadership.”
For the 30-year old Johnson, being named captain when he’s been with the organization less than 16 months is a testament to the respect he has earned. After one season with the Heat, Johnson re-signed during the summer, inking a fouryear, $60 million deal.
“JJ was one the most special things that I’ve been a part of in my coaching career,” Spoelstra said about how Johnson transformed his career last season. “To people on the outside, it might have been surprising but when we actually named him captain it was a no-brainer.”
Spoelstra said the decision on Johnson, who is playing for his fifth franchise, was unanimous.
“He has that type of voice, purity, intention and leadership qualities to take on that role,” he said.
And in his first game since joining legends such as Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway as a team leader, Johnson once again started, scored 14 points with four rebounds, and had team highs of eight assists and five blocked shots. He is the second player in franchise history with at least eight rebounds and five blocks in a game, joining Wade who did it four times.
And Johnson did what a good captain does ... knocked down two crucial free throws with 11 seconds to play and as the Pacers chopped a 21-point deficit to two. This after missing five of his previous seven attempts on the young season.
“I think he’s found a program where the way we approach things is the way he approaches his life,” Josh Richardson said. “It’s cool to see the way he’s blossomed.”
The announcement on team captains was curious for one name that was absent. Center Hassan Whiteside is the team’s highest paid player after inking a four-year, $98 million deal in 2016. Starting his fourth season with the Heat, he has more tenure than Johnson and Dragic.
But Whiteside, 28, has had maturity issues during his career, although the Heat are pleased with the progress he has made since the second half of last season.
Dragic, 31, showed the ultimate leadership this summer while willing his home country, Slovenia, to an upset victory in the EuroBasket championship. He was captain of his national team but has never been a captain during his nine years in the NBA.
“It means a lot because you’re working hard to get respect from players and coaching staff and that’s something huge,” Dragic said. “We have one of the best captains in the NBA in UD and it’s a privilege to learn from him and try to be a role model for young players and kids.”
Haslem, 37, is in his 15th season with the franchise. He already is the longest tenured captain in Heat history, a title that goes back to 2007-08. He has won three titles and been to five Finals.
Johnson said it is Haslem’s example that he followed during his first year in Miami.
“He’s really the one who I follow in his footsteps on how to become a real leader,” Johnson said. “A lot of people can talk about it, a lot of people will say their game does the talking. A lot of them guys don’t have three rings either.”