Anyone else feel like he should be playing more at PG? He had some good moments during the season, and the Rockets are thin at the point. He's better than people think. Prigioni doesn't do much for me. He doesn't make many mistakes though, I will give him that.
When we face elite pg play in the 2nd round (CP3 or parker) yes i hope he gets a few mins here and there. Maybe 10 mins a game to give those guys a diffirent look. Can't ask Ariza to check them 48 mins per game.
Nick Johnsons role is that he is insurance in case terry or prigs goes down. Prigs may not look much but as you said he doesn't make mistakes and that's what you need in the playoffs.
His job is to cheer hard and flash that smile while looking handsome on camera when he cheers. With Parsons in Dallas, DMo injured, there are no more teen idol Rockets other than Nick Johnson.
Prigs is in there strictly to bring the ball up, set up the offense, and not turn the ball over. He usually plays with Dwight, Smith, Ariza, and Brew at the start of the 2nd, and a lot of those guys are high TO guys. Prigs is just a safe PG. Not saying I like him one bit, just stating the obvious. Luckily, Rondo doesn't pose too much of an offensive threat so we're ok for now. But Nick will be used against CP3 / Parker in round 2, I can put money on it.
McHale might tell nba.com that he was joking when he earlier said the team would be in trouble if Capela had to play significant minutes in the playoffs, but he wasn't. He plays the young whippersnappers only when the vets come up hobbled. If Terry says, "Hey, coach, my hammies are tender," then we'll see Nick Johnson.
Johnson has more energy per pound than anyone on the Rockets, and I like that. I like that he plays way higher than you would expect and he has absolutely NO fear of trying to dunk on anybody. However, he's still pretty raw, especially as a point guard. I don't know how effective he is defensively, because he never plays. He should have his eyes glued on Pablo and James on offense and Ariza and Brewer on defense to see the combination that he needs to bring to the table. Right now, I think he's definitely backup material to the vets. Terry shot lights out against the Mavs and Prigioni is just a smarter player when Harden's not out there. Unfortunately, Johnson hasn't gotten enough minutes in non-garbage time to know how to play in a meaningful situation. In going along with that, could we please hire an A+ point guard coach in the offseason? I know Harden is essentially point when he's out there, but that takes away a whole chunk of his offensive game where he could be scoring off the pass. He could also learn a lot of things from a good point guard coach. I feel like Beverley is a squandered opportunity, because he has the defensive energy we need, but no one's helped him figure out what to do when he's on offense. It's just time off the clock when he's handling the ball, but I feel that he could be taught, and he'd be eager to learn how to be a better facillitator. Johnson, on the other hand, is more likely to crash the basket himself quickly instead of setting people up. This is why we have to rely on James for everything. C'mon, Rockets, help these young guys out if you're going to list them as point guards on the roster.
Johnson is a shooting guard who can't shoot in a pg's body. I was wrong about him. He is not NBA ready.
nick johnson is not ready to be playing. when he plays, he looks nervous; as if he has stage fright. he needs more experience and confidence before he gets more minutes. prigioni is GREAT. he doesn't do much but most importantly, he doesn't do anything BAD. he takes care of the ball and doesn't commit turnovers. he's basically a game manager and i'm perfectly okay with that. he's like a fine ARGENTINE WINE. he gets better with age.
It's just a matchup thing right now. He wouldn't match up well unless we put him on Monta. That being said I think Monta is clever enough to make Nick look bad on defense.
His role is to watch, take notes, and learn. Take this experience and practice to be ready for it next year.
only issue is he can't shoot well which can be minimized if a combo of ariza and harden are on the floor
Nick Johnson needs to decide whether he is going to be a pg, shooting guard or just a 3 & D player like Beverley, and hire some coaches to help him develop his craft. I like the guy, comes from great pedigree, but I just don't see much in him. KJ, in even more limited pt, showed more promisE than Johnson.
Back up if terry or prigs go down. Right now he is a benchwarmer and I fully expect him to be committed to cheerleading
