Miami Heat have established winning culture throughout their existence, and a lot of players have enjoyed being a part of it. James Johnson is not an exception to that rule, as he has enjoyed playing for the team this season and has benefited tremendously from the franchise. Recently, Johnson commented about the Heat culture and how it affected him since joining Miami.
Johnson's game has improved much this season and he evolved from a bench warmer to one of the best backup players in the entire league. His transformation was not easy, it was slow and painful, but the Miami Heat turned him into a winner, an enforcer and a fan favorite.
James Johnson needed a change, and he got it
Prior to this season, James Johnson was far from a good player as he did not play much with his previous team and he had issues with his body. Before the Miami Heat signed him, Johnson weighed 275 pounds and had 14.5 percent body fat.
After joining the Heat, Johnson said he was asked to take a shirtless picture for before-and-after pictures the team planned for him, which felt weird as he has never done such thing before. However, things changed quickly when he was given an iPad magazine that had photos of every other Heat player that went through weight loss process. When Johnson saw what the Heat were able to accomplish with other players, he said he immediately wanted to change himself.
James Johnson has worked hard on getting back into the shape in order to help the Heat win games. A few months after, Johnson is down to 238 pounds with under 7 percent body fat. The $4-million contract Miami gave him started looking really good, as the 6-foot-9 small forward began playing really well, doing everything on the floor and giving his maximum effort every single night.
Heat culture is real
"It's super real. This culture is real," said James Johnson when he was asked about Miami Heat culture. James also added that looking at his before-and-after picture is one of his happiest moments, and that he feels much better, faster and more agile after the weight loss, and that he can do much more things on the court now than he was able to do before.
Another interesting thing about the Heat culture is how they do team practices and treat each other. James Johnson said how the team takes practices seriously, and that no one can go out and hang out all night then think they can come to practice next day and give their best, because he will call you out, as well as everyone else on the team. According to Johnson, players don't leave it to the coaches to call players out, but they rather do it to each other.
Miami Heat culture definitely is real, and it has helped Johnson play incredibly well. This season, the 6-foot-9 forward is averaging career highs in nearly every statistical category, and is one of the most valuable bench players in the NBA.
The only question that remains is whether or not the Heat culture will be enough to keep James Johnson in Miami. His value has risen over the last few months and there is no doubt that a lot of teams will be interested in him this upcoming offseason.
