Joe Johnson Wins The Big 3 MVP And Deserves A Shot At An NBA Roster Spot
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Man does this warm my heart. Obviously I’ve been a huge Joe Johnson guy since the Celts drafted him back in 2001. It sucked that he only played 20 games before he was part of a trade package to the Suns that netted Tony Delk and Rodney Rodgers. I’m pretty sure Chris Wallace saw Tony Delk drop 50 points one time and had to have him, not realizing he was giving up an absolute stud in Iso Joe. He then went on to have a 15 year NBA career, become a 20,000 point scorer, 7x All Star, made an All NBA 3rd team, and when he was in ATL you could argue he was one of the best players in the league.
Now the end of his career wasn’t pretty, he looked pretty damn washed by the end of it in 2017-18 with the Rockets at age 36. But that’s the beauty of the Big 3 because Joe Johnson looks reborn. For those who may not have watched any of the Big3 this season, here’s how Iso Joe finished
– led the league in points
– led the league in assists
– led the league in 4 point makes
– 2nd in the league in steals
His team was 7-1 and made it all the way to the title game, largely because of the work Joe Johnson did. And look, there’s no point in denying what the Big 3 is becoming. It’s not a joke, it outdraws some NBA teams at the moment and guys take it seriously. It’s only a matter of time before someone gets an NBA camp invite based on how they play in this league, so why shouldn’t it be Joe Johnson? Of course there’s a difference between this league and playing in the actual NBA, but I’m convinced after watching these highlights that Joe Johnson could make an NBA roster. At the very least he should be invited to someone’s camp.
Also, imagine if he actually does make a roster and Melo is still unsigned? Well that’s the type of drama I can get behind. Either way, even if he doesn’t ever get back to the NBA, watching him dominate the Big 3 is still pretty awesome. I’ve always wondered what might have been had Iso Joe and Pierce/Antoine been allowed to stay together, man those early 2000 Celts years were rough.