The New Orleans Pelicans had an up and down season that left fans frustrated and wanting more.
But it wasn’t all bad, there were a few success stories within the disappointment, including the rise of Zion Williamson to superstar, the consistency of Brandon Ingram and the development of players like Jaxson Hayes and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
One of the smaller success stories was the play of James Johnson, who came in the J.J. Redick trade and really wasn’t expected to do much.
Instead, he ended up as part of the rotation, played pretty well and made a strong case for himself for a future roster spot on the New Orleans Pelicans.
Here are three reasons they should definitely try to re-sign James Johnson.
New Orleans Pelicans: James Johnson should have a low-cost contract
James Johnson made $14 million this season in the final year of his deal, but I doubt he’ll ever get close to that again.
Johnson is now 33-years-old, missed a fair amount of time with injury and is probably looking at a veteran’s minimum contract next season.
He is in a similar situation as Jeff Green, who has had a nice season for Brooklyn after signing a vet’s minimum deal. Someone might pay more for Johnson, but I can’t see the market being too robust, so if the Pelicans want him he’ll probably be cheap.
The Pelicans aren’t going to have much cap space one way or another depending on what happens with Lonzo Ball and the rest of their free agents.
Johnson definitely won’t be a top priority in the free agent market, so the Pels should be able to make him a modest offer after they have settled all of their other business.
New Orleans Pelicans: James Johnson can play two or more positions
The Pelicans have next to zero depth at either of the forward positions behind Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
Naji Marshall has emerged as a potential backup for Ingram but the Pelicans still need some depth at power forward.
Johnson can play both positions depending on the matchup, and can even guard some centers. Zion and Ingram were durable this season and are going to be playing big minutes, so the Pelicans don’t necessarily need guys who are going to play a ton off the bench.
James Johnson is appealing because he can play all over, can back up both guys and gives the Pelicans a lot of flexibility with their bench units.
Johnson isn’t going to be playing big minutes, which is fine, but he can be effective in short bursts, sub in for either guy or even at center in small-ball lineups.
He also helps fill a couple of the Pelicans’ biggest needs.
New Orleans Pelicans: James Johnson helps the defense
James Johnson is a good defender who helps the Pelicans’ overall team defense. Even though the Pelicans only finished 23rd overall in defensive rating, they showed some signs of life after they swapped one JJ for another.
The Pels’ defensive rating improved nearly two points in April after the trade and again in May to 112.4, lowest it had been since December when the Pelicans came out strong defensively but only played five games.
Some of this is because of Johnson but some has to be attributed to getting rid of Redick and Nicolo Melli, who were the two worst defenders on the team.
The Pelicans obviously can’t count on James Johnson to be a go-to offensive player or a guy who plays a ton of minutes, but he brings defense and toughness, two things that the Pels lack, and there is evidence his influence was helping.
Johnson won’t be one of the marquee names you hear about this offseason, but he is a solid veteran who checks a lot of boxes for what the Pelicans need this offseason.