Utah Jazz alumni: Joe Johnson gets a shot at NBA redemption

Former beloved Utah Jazz player Joe Johnson is set to make his NBA return after signing a one-year contract with the Detroit Pistons.

Joe Johnson‘s exit from the NBA was a sad and disappointing one. It’s almost hard to think that in the 2017 NBA Playoffs, he was playing a major role as a veteran leader for the Utah Jazz which included above all a thrilling game winner in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series between the Jazz and LA Clippers.

Then, the following season, the Jazz could hardly keep him on the court. He was later dealt to the Sacramento Kings who let him go in short order so that he could sign with a contender. He chose the Houston Rockets, who seemed like they could be an ideal fit for the savvy vet.

But when the 2018 NBA Playoffs rolled around, the Rockets hardly even used him. He appeared in only eight of Houston’s 17 playoff games and averaged just 6.7 minutes in those contests.

After that, he found himself without an NBA contract for the 2018-19 season, which would eventually lead Iso Joe to proclaim that he was wasn’t at peace with how his NBA career ended.

Fortunately, though, for the former Jazzman who remains very much beloved for his heroics in the 2016-17 season, he will soon have a chance to rewrite the ending to his story. That’s right, Joe Johnson is making his return to the NBA this upcoming season.

After being the headlining player for the entire season of this summer’s BIG3, a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by hip hop legend Ice Cube, it was evident that Joe Johnson still had game. Regardless of a sometimes questioned talent and conditioning level of his opponents in BIG3 action, Johnson showed that he could still get a bucket, still hit clutch shots and still take on anyone in isolation.

He set a new BIG3 scoring record, won the BIG3 MVP award and led his BIG3 team Triplets to a near-perfect season. They went 7-1 in the regular season en route to the BIG3 Championship. Along the way he hit game-winning shot after game-winning shot and lit up the hoop like no other of his peers could come close to doing.

His performances certainly turned heads across the Association, as it was previously announced that he was working out for a number of NBA teams. Ultimately, though, it was reported on Thursday that he has reached an agreement to play with the Detroit Pistons.

Now, it should be noted that the deal is only partially guaranteed, so Johnson will still have his work cut out for him, but he should yet be able to make an impact as a veteran leader and spot-situation bucket-getter for the Pistons. Detroit is in need of additional shooting, as they were just 23rd in three-point percentage (34.8 percent) a season ago, added scoring, after finishing 25th in points per game (107.0), and a level head as we saw some less than disciplined play at times from the likes of Blake Griffin, Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond.

In other words, while at his advanced age Johnson is by no means going to be absolutely revolutionary for the Pistons, he still definitely checks some vital boxes for them. If he can channel even a portion of the magic with which he appeared to play in BIG3, he should be a nice pickup for Detroit as they hope to make a repeat appearance to the postseason in 2020.

And one thing is for certain, Jazz fans will likely be pulling for Joe Johnson all along the way and ought to give him a nice ovation when he returns to Salt Lake City. The NBA comeback he paved through the BIG3 was an impressive and memorable one. Now, with the chance to re-write the ending to his NBA career, we can only hope that his new final act will be a happy and fulfilling one.