Ranking 7 worst Raptors starters of the Kyle Lowry era
By Tyler Watts
3. James Johnson
Johnson had two separate stints with the Raptors. Toronto traded a first-round draft pick for him in 2011, despite winning just 22 games. They got a productive season and a half out before trading him to Sacramento in the 2012 offseason. After two seasons away from the Raptors, Johnson returned as a free agent in the summer of 2014. This was his stint with Kyle Lowry, and it did not go as planned.
Johnson started 49 games over the two seasons, but his playing time decreased in the playoffs and his counting stats left plenty to be desired. The 6’7 forward averaged 6.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 0.8 blocks in 18.1 minutes per game.
James Johnson should have been in the middle of his prime. He was 27 years old when he signed with the Toronto Raptors in 2014 and turned 29 during his second campaign. Instead, they got little help from the 6’7 forward, despite reaching the conference finals in 2016.
It was disappointing, and things got worse when he joined the Miami Heat in free agency in 2016 and immediately had the two best seasons of his career. Johnson struggled to find his role and place in his second stint in Toronto. It put him on the fringes of their playoff rotation and made him one of the worst starters of the Kyle Lowry era.