Former Utah Jazz forward Joe Johnson’s season with the Houston Rockets is finally over. However, Iso Joe isn’t quite ready to call it a career.
Following their Game 7 loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Houston Rockets’ season officially reached its conclusion on Monday. It was undoubtedly a bitter pill to swallow for Houston, the West’s top-seeded squad, especially given the fact that point-man Chris Paul was forced to watch from the sidelines.
He wasn’t the only one though; former Utah Jazz forward Joe Johnson saw just 25 minutes of action throughout the series. That didn’t sit well with a vocal contingent of fans. After the Rockets had officially ceded their spot atop the conference, people took to Twitter in droves to decry Johnson’s lack of playing time.
https://twitter.com/Isozojay/status/1001355897891950592
https://twitter.com/NateHairston/status/1001339059137077249
I know hindsight is 20/20... but the #Rockets had Iso Joe just wasting away on their bench. I don't feel sorry for them.
— Nathan Owens (@nateowenscomedy) May 29, 2018
Regardless, season No. 17 is officially on the books for the 36-year-old.
But if you think Iso Joe is ready hang up his jersey and call it a career, you’ve got another thing coming. In the moments after his 2017-18 campaign came to a close, Johnson was clear in his intention to keep balling.
In fact, he almost scoffs at the notion of retirement. Here’s the scoop via ESPN’s Tim McMahon —
"“Hell yeah, I want to keep rolling,” Johnson told ESPN. “I’m not even thinking about [retiring].” He said he’d be interested in re-signing with the Rockets. “I would love to have a chance to win a ring,” he said. “I thought we had a great opportunity, man. It slipped away from us. I want to go to a contender. I don’t want to just be out here playing just to be playing.”"
Whether Johnson has anything left in the tank remains to be seen. The Jazz seemingly dumped him at the trade deadline just to shed his salary and give him a chance to chase a ring. Even as the team was in the midst of its own playoff race. And by the time the postseason hit, he was out of Mike D’Antoni‘s rotation in Houston.
For the season, he averaged just six points per game on 40 percent from the floor and a paltry 28 percent from 3-point range.
There’s a chance that nearly two decades in the Association have finally made their mark on him. Then again, his down year could be the byproduct of the wrist injury that cost him a quarter of the season. Johnson hadn’t missed significant time in-season since his 2006-07 campaign with the Atlanta Hawks.
And wrist instability is kind of a big deal if you’re a shooter.
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In any case, Iso Joe is keen to continue his career. To that end, it’s hard to imagine there won’t be a contending team out there that’s willing to take a flyer on him.
Whether it happens or not, though, he’s likely headed toward a Hall of Fame induction. And Jazz fans will always remember him for his steady hand and playoff heroics during the 2016-17 season.