The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Ranking every Philadelphia 76ers player on the 2018-19 roster

By Christopher Kline

Ben Simmons, T.J. McConnell, Joel Embiid | Philadelphia 76ers (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
Ben Simmons, T.J. McConnell, Joel Embiid | Philadelphia 76ers (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /

11. Amir Johnson

Amir is the definition of hustle. Johnson plays hard, does whatever is asked of him, and does it all with a smile and the team in mind. With the addition of Mike Muscala, Johnson will not have to spell Embiid as much, if at all, and can play his natural position of Forward and it will change the defensive objective for him. Its going to be a fun season for him.

Weaknesses

  • Scoring

Johnson has never lit the world on fire with scoring, and we shouldn’t expect him to start anytime soon. A solid contributor for the time his plays, considering he is more defensive oriented, but again—not a world-beater.

  • Physical

Amir hustles hard but doesn’t have the lateral quickness to contend with the upper echelon he may see. In fact, I’m not sure he has the lateral quickness to match up to the second-tier opponents he will face. It has yet to make him detrimental defensively; but with age, it will be sooner rather than later that it catches up with him.

Strengths

  • Defense

It goes without saying (much), that he has always been a defensive hound. Being able to play a more natural position is going to go a long way in helping Amir add more defensive value to an already very good defensive team.

  • Playmaking

Did you know Amir Johnson’s assist-to-usage ratio (courtesy of Cleaning The Glass) has been in the 79th percentile or higher for the last four consecutive years?

That’s kind of a big deal.

For a big man or forward to facilitate to his teammates is often a work of art, which means he could increase his ability to score inside. No one has ever been upset about having too many playmakers.

Season Expectations

I’m expecting a fun season for Amir. He will contribute in the second unit, and I think will be responsible for some big defensive moments down the stretch. If nothing else, he will elevate the level of intensity on the floor and display that blue-collar work ethic Philly is so well known for.

  • 7.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.5 SPG, 54.8 FG%, 74 games played 

— Christopher Croom