Taking Off
In his third year with Atlanta, forward Joe Johnson is ready to turn the Hawks into a contender again
By Jamie Lay
On the far side of the practice court at the Philips Arena, a mural that lists the Atlanta Hawks All-Stars year-by-year names Dominique Wilkins nine times. On the near side a banner honors him as a Hawks player from 1982 to 1994. Then the ubiquitous legend, known as the “Human Highlight Reel” for his acrobatic and spectacular dunks during his career, walks into the Hawks preseason practice, shakes a few hands and stands next to the court. The Atlanta Spirit’s VP of Basketball is a living reminder of what the Hawks used to be. When he played, they actually competed in the Eastern Conference, won 50 games a year and made the playoffs; fans attended games regularly instead of staying home.
For the last nine years the Hawks have missed the playoffs, won no more than 30 games and rank 26th in league in attendance. In his three years coach Mike Woodson has won 13, 26 and 30 games and only five guys on this year’s squad have played more than three seasons in the NBA. The pressure to perform this season is greater than ever.
On the practice court the coach sternly commands the rookies and younger players in a practice game. On the sidelines a young man – only 26 years old – smiles and laughs amidst all this anxiety without any look of concern. Joe Johnson, the only current player with his name on the wall, is the definitive leader of this team, and is confident the Hawks will win this year. Johnson has always won, a legacy that follows him back to Little Rock, Ark.
Johnson, like many NBA players, began shooting basketballs in a Boys and Girls Club at seven years old. He quickly
excelled at the game and by middle school was part of an AAU team called the Arkansas Rockets. Central Little Rock High School’s basketball coach Oliver Fitzpatrick, Johnson’s high school coach, remembers when he first watched Johnson shoot.
“It was between his 8th and 9th grade years,” said Fitzpatrick. “He was playing for a talented AAU team, they’d had about eight years together. At the time Joe was not starting for the team, but I really liked the mechanics of his shot: his elbow was under the ball, and he had a good follow through. I figured he’d be a good player.”
Johnson’s sweet shot soon made him the focus of his junior high school team. “His junior high team ran a shooters offense,” said Fitzpatrick. “Basically, they were just trying to get Joe open in the corners for a shot. After his 9th grade year, he started working with me over the summer. Joe was pretty determined to improve. He was very willing. He was like a sponge soaking everything up.”
During this summer Johnson also sprouted three inches from 6’2” to 6’5”. Even with the growth he still maneuvered like a small forward making him very difficult for other high school players to guard. That summer his skills improved enough to win him spot in the starting five in the first game.
“The game was against Northside, and they had a kid on their team that was highly ranked in the nation,” recalled Johnson. “He was 6’6”, he could jump out of the gym and he could shoot. He was a senior and I was a sophomore. The first game of the year I had 30 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists. It was crazy. It was something I had never imagined would happen. But from that day forth it gave me confidence. I think for my whole career. And I never looked back.”
Johnson was a natural fit at Little Rock Central High School known nationally for its athletics, academics and historical significance. In the 1960s it was one of the first schools integrated in the South and it served as a symbol of desegregation during the Civil Rights Movement. Annually it’s ranked in the top 20 high schools in the country and its football and basketball programs are among the winningest in Arkansas history.
Success on the court never changed Johnson’s shy, reserved manner off the court. He still preferred the inconspicuousness of a hooded sweatshirt to the notoriety of stardom. On the court, however, he was very expressive. “You could see it in his play. The way he creates shots. The way he gets assists. His blocking and communication,” said Fitzpatrick. “When he was on the court, he was a different person.”
Johnson also favored the solidarity of the team to his own person achievement. “The hardest thing was teaching him to be selfish and shoot over a defender than passing to the open man,” said Fitzpatrick. “He was not taking the shot when he could take it. If you’re the guy who everyone’s counting on, you should be the one taking it yourself.”
Around Johnson’s sophomore year Tracy McGrady made the jump from high school to the NBA. One day Fitzpatrick asked Johnson about his dreams for the NBA.
“Do you ever think about it?” he asked.
“That’s all I think about,” Johnson exclaimed.
Following this conversation Fitzpatrick visited a coaching camp attended by Bobby Knight, Eddie Sutton and Mike Krzyzewski. One night Fitzpatrick snuck into the gym and watched NBA coach Lawrence Frank run a player through a series of NBA drills. Fitzpatrick planned to use this drill to prepare Johnson for an NBA tryout. The drill, dubbed the “Great 8,” was a combination of moves before a shot. Fitzpatrick thought this would put Johnson on a fast track for the pros.
Then in his senior year, Johnson caught pneumonia, missed some of the season and in the process nearly lost 20 pounds and much of his strength. This forced him to reconsider entering the NBA, and he decided to attend the University of Arkansas instead. “It’s a serious jump [to the NBA],” he said later. “And I always wanted to be a Razorback. I pretty much had my mind made up from the start. I went down there to midnight madness. That’s when it hit me.”
Under Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson Johnson’s game flourished. He earned SEC Freshmen of the Year and All-American honors as a sophomore. He was also the first freshman in school history to lead the team in scoring and rebounding. The following year he declared for the NBA, and the Boston Celtics picked him 10th overall. Hawks coach Woodson recalls seeing Johnson in his rookie season at Boston.
“I thought he was very talented but some of his talent hadn’t surfaced yet,” he said. “One thing I noticed about him was he could play every position. He could handle the point and he could shoot. That’s what drew us to him. His versatility.”
The Hawks waited five years for Johnson to develop. Boston traded him to the Phoenix during his first season. He played
five seasons for the Suns improving his scoring average every
year but was never considered the best player on the team. In
2005, Johnson signed with the Hawks for $70 million and was
suddenly the team’s new franchise player. In his first year he averaged more points per game and assists per game than any time in his career. However, he struggled with the idea that he was the leader of the team.
“They had a lot of young athletes with a lot of potential,” he said. “I just kind of threw myself in the mix, thinking this would be a great thing and we could have a great team. It was a challenge for me [to be a leader] and I was willing to accept it. When I first started it was kind of tough. I was in a position that I had never been in before trying to lead a team.”
On the court that day, Johnson’s smile and relaxed nature reveals something more about this team, not just about himself. The team’s two first-round draft picks performed well in the preseason, and the Hawks finished the exhibition season with a 7-1 record – the club’s best preseason in 25 years.
“Regardless of what people think. We know we’re a pretty good team,” he said. “We don’t always play like it. We need to do things consistent night in and night out, coming out and playing good basketball the right way. I try to lead. I lead by example. I’m starting to lead a lot more vocally. It would help us out and it’s something I’m working on.”
Johnson’s body stiffens when Woodson stops the play mid-game and calls him onto the court. Woodson runs the team through a variety of offensive plays all of which result in Johnson shooting the ball. Johnson’s eyes focus on Woodson’s words and he quietly runs the play. A teammate passes him the ball and a jumper spins off his fingertips and into the hoop. It is in this position that he looks most comfortable.
“The first game of the year [in high school] I had 30 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists. It was crazy. It was something I had never imagined would happen. But from that day forth it gave me confidence. I think for my whole career. And I never looked back.”