Quick, do you know who the Fifth Beatle was ? The answer is a little more complicated depending if you consider the fifth Beatle being a musical or non-musical contributor. Some may say Pete Best, Stuart Sutcliffe, Brian Epstein or George Martin as being the “Fifth Beatle”. All right something a little easier, do you know which NBA player led his team in scoring and was one of six shooting guards that averaged both four rebounds and assists per game? Need a hint?  His initials are J.J. If you guessed Joe Johnson then you are correct (of course, reading this post about J.J. should have been a clue!). Johnson has quietly put up solid numbers since joining Atlanta as a free agent.

Round 4 Pick 1: Joe Johnson, PG/SG, Atlanta Hawks

Check out the numbers Joe Johnson put up the past couple of seasons with the Atlanta Hawks.

’05-‘06 GP 82– 20.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 6.5 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.4 bpg, 1.6 threes, 3.3 topg, 45.3 FG%, 79.1 FT%, 35.6 3PT%
’06-’07 GP 57 – 25.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.1 spg, 0.2 bpg, 2.1 threes, 3.1 topg, 47.1 FG%, 74.8 FT%, 38.1 3PT%

Many thought Johnson’s success in Phoenix was dependent on Steve Nash… I guess the naysayers were wrong like chubby people wearing spandex as J.J. is doing just fine in Atlanta. Simple Joe has assumed the role of ringleader of the Hawks’ youth movement. The Hawks have picked a solid leader in Double J, he seems to make the right decisions on the court, either taking a good shot or finding an open teammate. Last year, Johnson was able to increase his scoring and threes made/game and increased his accuracy from the field, as noted with his FG% and 3-PT%. On a team with the high-flying Josh Smith and bruiser Zaza Pachulia crashing the boards, J.J. is still able to get his share of rebounds. His modest steal numbers seem to suggest that Johnson is a relatively Honest Joe. 

Last year, Joe Johnson missed 25 games due mostly to an injured calf.  Prior to last year, Johnson never missed a game in 4 seasons! With the summer off, J.J. will be ready to rock it for a full season. Joe Johnson is only 26 years old and with the keys to Atlanta’s offense it looks like his best years are down the road! 

Last question, who is the fourth writer for Dropping Dimes? Tough question, eh? The answer is yours truly. If you didn’t get the answer, don’t worry people recruiting fantasy b-ball writers don’t know me either!

Other Players on this Fantasy Team:

1.12. Yao Ming, C, Houston Rockets
2.1. Pau Gasol, PF/C, Memphis Grizzles
3.12. Al Jefferson, PF/C, Minnesota Timberwolves

Previous Round Selections
Round One Recap
Round Two Recap
Round Three Recap