• Sign Up
• Contact Us

Roster - Minnesota Timberwolves News · Roster · Patch · Statistics · Units · Ratings · Schedule · Transactions · NBA Stats · TbT

Teams Atlanta Boston Brooklyn Charlotte Chicago Cleveland Dallas Denver Detroit Golden State Houston Indiana LA Clippers LA Lakers Memphis Miami Milwaukee Minnesota New Orleans New York Oklahoma City Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix Portland Sacramento San Antonio Toronto Utah Washington

James Johnson, He Figured it Out!

James Johnson has been a journeyman for much of his NLL career, playing for now 10 different teams in 8 seasons.  This year, he is averaging the most points per game of any of his NLL seasons at 8 ppg.  He is finally getting a chance to start for the Timberwolves as the coaching staff experiments with different lineups.  Let’s take a bigger look at why he is having a career year at 29 years old.

According to his teammates, he is one of the few players in the league who can both play and guard all 5 positions.  His coach referred to JJ as “one through five,” a nickname once only reserved for LeBron James in Miami.  A lot of his teammates are calling him “King” James Johnson, in reference to how his game is similar to LeBron’s in many ways.  “I know that’s just something you all (the media) are just finding out,” said Taj Gibson, “I knew that.  It’s awesome because he’s such a mismatch on both ends of the court.  You can’t play a stretch four against JJ.  He can also battle with the big guys….There’s not a lot of players like him in the league.”

What has changed this season that has turned him into such a force?  He was challenged by the Timberwolves coaching staff going into the season to get in shape.  He was told to get in better shape, lose weight, change your diet, change your lifestyle.  He took it to heart and it has resulted in wonders.  He’s shooting great from the field, is one of the best playmakers on the team, and can guard anyone.  It’s too bad it took him until 29 years old to figure it out! 

The good news is that James has expressed interest in resigning with the Timberwolves in the offseason.  He’s loving the fact that he gets consistent minutes, and is relied on heavily to pick up the scoring burden when Paul George is on the bench.  He’s looking at getting a big contract in the offseason, will it be too big for the Timberwolves to stomach?  If he responds well to being put in the starting lineup next to Paul George, he might just be worth it.

A little more background on JJ, he’s from Wyoming of all places where he came out as a 4 star recruit going to Wake Forest.  He was named All-ACC third team after his sophomore season and declared for the NBA draft.  Since then, he’s been shipped around as teams tried to make him fit in as either a power forward or a small forward.  As the league has shifted to stretch 4’s more and more, he’s finally figured out his role.  He’s one of the most prolific dunkers in the league throwing down some nasty dunks all year.  He’s known for posterizing guys even though it’s not his go to move.  He’s got explosive athleticism and a shot to go along with it.  We hope for all the best for JJ, and he may just be the next big thing in the NLL!

In other T-Wolves news, the team is exploring trade options and just brought in some good players.  More to come later....