Amir Johnson is one of the more overlooked NBA veterans but being in the league for about 10 years (and counting), receiving a call from the Celtics was pretty much surprising.
The former Toronto Raptor gets a new lease on life with the Celtics after being the third or fourth option (on offense) with his previous ballclub. But what perhaps caught the eye of Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens is the fact that Johnson brings toughness and added protection to the rim on the defensive end.
With most of their young bucks apparently still a bit wet behind the ears, the veteran Johnson should easily blend in with the young turks and maybe give them a tip or two on how to become better defenders.
For someone who was never among the names that would have been pursued, it remains to be seen if Johnson can indeed bring a big difference to the Celtics. But as he watched the young players like Marcus Smart in the ongoing Las Vegas Summer League, it seems that he is setting the bar high.
He sees a bit of himself in Smart and the rest; that of which is not quitting. And if that mentality holds up, he believes the Celtics will have what it takes to ascend among their Eastern Conference division rivals.
Of course actions speak louder than words but for now, the outlook seems bright for the Celtics who were never really able to sign a high profile name like LaMarcus Aldridge or Marc Gasol. With Johnson however, his experience will certainly count.
The Celtics are looking to improve on their previous performance, making it to the first round of the NBA playoffs despite falling to the eventual NBA Eastern Conference champs, Cleveland Cavaliers.
Surely, there is no way to go but up for the Celtics. Considering they did it with a rag-tag team, any Celtic fan would certainly want to see how far Boston can get with an organized line-up. With Johnson in tow, that remains to be seen.
