An Admirable Attitude
Don’t get me wrong here — being a strong, imposing competitor with a killer instinct is important in sport. It’s what makes the best players even better, though sometimes it can be their biggest fault — overconfident players almost never last in the league.
This is just another reason why I commend Johnson. He knows when to compete, when to laugh something off, and most importantly, he knows exactly who and what he is — a role player.
And that’s a good thing, that he doesn’t try to outplay his role. He does what’s important for the team and tries his hardest night in and night out — I honestly can’t think of a single time that I’ve seen him give up on several plays in a row. He sticks to what he does best, and does so consistently.
That’s just a small part of his likable attitude, though. I want to digress a bit and go back to what I said about laughing things off.
Surely we all remember the play where James Harden dropped Johnson without mercy. Here’s a refresher, just in case you forget.
Like the video says, pay close attention to Johnson’s reaction. He understands that he’s been bested, laughs it off, and gets ready for the next play. He doesn’t get angry and fight Harden, he doesn’t let it get inside his head, and most importantly, he doesn’t let Harden win the mental game.
Some people may view his laughing and smiling totally different than I do, and that’s perfectly fine — you can believe whatever you’d like to. But to me, it’s obvious that this is a sign of a true level-headed veteran.
There’s something to be said about having guys like that on the team — just ask former Clipper Alan Anderson, who DeAndre Jordan said was “One of the best teammates ever had”, praising his energy and enthusiasm.
Johnson gives off that kind of vibe. He won’t make the biggest impact on the court, but man, does he enjoy it.