Anti-Joe Johnson Bias Hurting Hawks? No

Joe Johnson has been a marvel this season, playing better than ever for an up-and-down-but-mostly-up-except-lately Hawks team. J.J. is on his way to All-Star no-brainer status, if he keeps it up.

But he's not discussed as one of the league's superstars. Does that reality matter on the court? Sekou Smith of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution argues that it does, that some lack of respect by the world means that J.J. gets fewer foul calls than a top scorer deserves.

Of the top 10 scorers in the league - Johnson ranks eighth with 24 points per night - he and San Antonio point guard Tony Parker average the fewest free throw attempts (5.4). Others like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and even New Jersey's Devin Harris average more than twice as many.

Do James, Wade and Harris average so many FTAs because the refs are quick on the whistle? You could argue that with LeBron and Dwyane, but you're unlikely to find sympathetic ears when it comes to Harris. Yet Smith suggests Harris' FTA tally as further proof of how slept on J.J. has been, as if Harris gets more respect than Johnson.
The real reason for J.J.'s relatively low number of FTAs? He doesn't attack the rim nearly as much as the others. According to NBA.com's Hot Spots data, 46.5% of Johnson's FGAs this season have come near the basket, while the other 53.5% are taken at least 15 feet from the basket. Harris, on the other hand, takes 58.6% of his shots near the hoop, and only 41.4% from distance.

Obviously, the probability of drawing a foul goes up the closer you get to the basket. If Johnson wants to draw more fouls -- and he doesn't need to, he's a good enough shooter to remain largely a perimeter scorer -- getting into the paint is the way to do it. Harris isn't living at the foul line because he's a star. It just happens to be the benefit of an aggressive offensive attack.