Alexander Johnson Fits in Miami

He's young and he is under appreciated. Most fans will not have heard of Alexander Johnson, unless they were Florida State basketball fans - like myself.

I had the privilege of watching Alexander Johnson play basketball at FSU while Leonard Hamilton was just starting up his program and right away I was impressed with his physical ability.

Johnson seems to be cut in that same mold as a Charles Barkely, a physical player with a strong power game and the ability to explode and surprise opponents. See for yourself:



Johnson has a long wingspan and can play on both ends of the floor. He is a gifted athlete, has good agility and quick feet and can get up off the floor very quickly - sometimes it can be somewhat surprising as he looks slower than he is. Just check that video above.

He can stick the jumper to about 18 feet, he has good form and a high release point and he can play physical down low in the block. He also has shown great passing ability and at FSU he was frequently used to set up plays at the top of the key.

Also while at FSU, Johnson often took on the tough, physical assignments and proved he was up to the task. In fact, it almost seemed as if he preferred it. He might have struggles against smaller, quicker players but only because of his positioning and understanding of defensive techniques needs some help when guarding players. However, he is a very strong rebounder on both ends of the floor due to his physical nature, his vertical leap (around 40") and his reach. In fact, some scouts and experts marked Johnson the 2nd most athletic big man in the draft behind Tyrus Thomas.

The Heat just got younger at PF and expanded their roster up to 18 players by signing Johnson. He also signed a high value contract for 2 years at 1.5M - this demonstrates the Heat are thinking more shrewdly about their situation. With Shaq and Wade eating up a bulk of the finances, the Heat have to be smarter with their spending which means they need to focus on younger talent that could be cheaper and fit their system while at the same time tolerating more risk on the court. Alexander Johnson just makes sense.

Further Reading:
Ex-FSU Star Signs with Miami

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Also, keep an eye on PJ Brown. Rumor has it he would like to retire after this season and he might be looking to do it in Miami where he would have a chance to win a title and finish up where he spent his better professional years.