Joe Johnson made his return to the hardwood Wednesday night for the Celtics after being out of the league for nearly four years. Ironically, he’s back where his career started 20 years later.
“Man, I’m just going to enjoy the moment. It’s almost like a familiar place but I was only here for about six months my rookie year and I got traded,” Johnson said. “But you know it’s fun, there’s still a lot of familiar faces out there for the organization and I was surprised to see. It’s good to see some familiar faces and good to be in a familiar place.”
Johnson tried latching on with the Pistons back in 2019 but was cut just before the start of the regular season, as he now admits that he wasn’t ready to play 5-on-5 at the time, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe relays.
Johnson now, however, says he feels like he’s in some of the best shape of his life.
More NBA Buzz
- James Harden is out of the health and safety protocols, according to the Nets (h/t Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN). It’s unknown at this time if Harden will play on Christmas assuming the games are still on.
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Klay Thompson has been impressing his teammates in workouts, according to Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News. “He’s always going to shoot the ball well, but he seems really confident in his body,” Kevon Looney said. “He’s going up for dunks. He’s playing physical and when you see that much confidence in him, it means he’s getting close to ready. It’s a joy to have in practice to have his energy back.” Thompson is expected to return in January.
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Derrick Rose underwent surgery on his right ankle and is expected to be re-evaluated in eight weeks, according to Malika Andrews of ESPN. However, there’s optimism that Rose’s return could come closer to a six-week timetable, per Wojnarowksi.
