Stanley Johnson Shows he's Worth a Look as Toronto's Backup Wing
When the Toronto Raptors opted to go small in last month's NBA Draft, selecting the 6-foot-1 Malachi Flynn in the first round it meant the team was probably going to be a little size deficient this year. It wasn't necessarily a big problem considering the team has become so successful playing in two point guard sets, but when the organization didn't do much to address it in free agency, that size vacancy certainly grew.
In today's NBA you can find a lot of success with small-ball lineups. It's not a problem to have a bunch of talented guards, especially if they can play above their size like Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet can. But against teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, that size deficiency can create headaches. It's why Raptors coach Nick Nurse somewhat surprisingly opted to go with Stanley Johnson in his first substitution of the night.
"It’s a big team we’re playing," Nurse said after the Raptors 100-93 loss to the 76ers on Tuesday. "They got [Ben] Simmons and [Tobias] Harris, [Joel] Embiid out there, just a little hard to go with somebody of Matt [Thomas]’s size, or Terence [Davis]’s size so I just kinda cut that down to just one of those guys, Norman [Powell]. And thought Stanely would be a better matchup on both Simmons and Harris."
Considering how little Johnson played last season the decision was pretty shocking. Discounting the Raptors' last few meaningless regular season games last season, Johnson played in just 22 games and averaged just 4.6 minutes. He was one of the bigger disappointments on the team, coming over from New Orleans on a two-year deal in free agency. Yet in hindsight, the decision to play Johnson actually made a lot of sense, especially with Patrick McCaw still recovering from knee surgery.
"The depth of the roster looks like there’s a need for a backup 3-4, and he might take that over," Nurse said. "I hope he can give us just what he gave us tonight. If he can, he’s got a shot in the rotation. That’s what it comes down to: some consistency. I think he’s gonna earn a lot of favour with the veteran guys if he’s gonna play that hard and defend like that.”
Johnson didn't disappoint in his first real showing this season. While he was by no means exceptional, he showed some bounciness and athleticism, scooping up eight rebounds and scoring seven points in nearly 22 minutes played. He did it all while taking turns trying to defend the 76ers stars, surrendering just two points in a combined 15.8 partial possessions against Simmons, Harris, and Embiid, according to the NBA's tracking stats.
With McCaw continuing to recover from surgery the Raptors certainly have a need for a backup wing. It seemed unlikely they'd turn to Johnson this season, but clearly the 24-year-old former eighth overall pick has shown some development in practice this year, at least enough to earn some playing time from Nurse.
"This is my second year with the organization and my second year under Nick. I think I've had a lot of practice with our system," Johnson said. "I think after I got off my injury last December and we had that Bubble break, I was able to get myself back in shape to play basketball and do all that extra work I need to do to stay prepared."
Right now it's still unlikely Johnson sees much playing time against some of the NBA's more traditional, smaller teams. But next time the Raptors are forced to go big in matchups against the 76ers and other supersized squads, it won't be so surprising when Johnson gets the call.
