Joe Johnson's Knee is Feeling Better

Perhaps the All-Star break is just what the doctor ordered.

Joe Johnson earned his seventh All-Star selection largely because of his scorching hot play in January, but toward the end of the month was inflicted with knee tendinitis that caused him to drop off considerably.

"It's been bothering him for some time," said Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd, according to a report by ESPN New York's Mike Mazzeo, "but Joe is not one to complain."

From Jan. 6 through Jan. 20, Johnson was on fire. During that span, he averaged 24.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.8 threes while shooting 47.2% from beyond the arc and 51.4% overall. The Nets were 5-1 during that stretch.

As Johnson's knee got worse, though, so did his numbers and so did the Nets. From Jan. 21 to the All-Star break, Johnson averaged just 10.2 points, 1.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 threes on 35.7% three point shooting and 38.5% shooting overall. The Nets went 6-5.

Luckily for Johnson, he got a week off and was a limited participant in the All-Star festivities. He played only 10 minutes in the All-Star game and went so slowly and gingerly in the three point shootout that he didn't even finish.

The time off allowed Johnson to give his knee some much-needed rest and, after last night's 105-99 win over the Utah Jazz, he told Rod Boone of Newsday that his knee was feeling a lot better:

Joe: "I don't have the pain that I have when I bend down to go into my shot or make a move, so I felt a lot better." #Nets
— Rod Boone (@rodboone) February 20, 2014

Surely a good sign for the Nets, as Johnson came roaring back to the tune of 27 points on 10-16 shooting (4-7 from three point range) to go with six assists and three steals in the victory.

The Nets will hope that this means that Johnson is at full health and can continue to put up big offensive numbers for the team.

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