Eccentric Johnson is Raps' wild card As James Johnson walked off the floor following Toronto's shootaround, the eccentric forward let out an abrupt roar, spooking poor, unsuspecting Bruno Caboclo into launching an air ball. To call Johnson a free spirit would probably be an understatement. He marches to the beat of his own drum. On Wednesday, he came to work sporting a new look. TSN's Josh Lewenberg has more.

Josh Lewenberg TSN Raptors Reporter Follow|Archive

CHARLOTTE - As James Johnson walked off the floor following Toronto's shootaround, the eccentric forward let out an abrupt roar, spooking poor. unsuspecting Bruno Caboclo into launching an air ball.

Johnson, a sixth-year vet, and the 19-year-old rookie were the last two players on the court taking jumpers Wednesday morning. The team bus had left without them, but luckily their hotel was in walking distance of Charlotte's Time Warner Cable Arena.

To call Johnson a free spirit would probably be an understatement. He marches to the beat of his own drum. On Wednesday, he came to work sporting a new look.

"I woke up after the plane ride and said I wanted to dye my hair red," he explained as pink beads of sweat rolled down his face. "And [I] went through with it. I just wanted a change. I don't want the spotlight on me or my head or nothing like that. Just a change for myself."

Later that evening, Johnson would hit five of his seven shots in the Raptors' decisive 92-74 win over the Hornets. After each one he tapped the top of his head as he ran up the court. Why?

"Landry Fields and Greg Stiemsma called it the 'Easy Button,' because I get to the paint so easy and score," Johnson told TSN.ca after recording 11 points and seven rebounds in the victory. "So I went with that. I like it."

"That's the Easy Button."

His teammates have a point. Johnson has been near automatic around the bucket, where most of his shots are coming from these days. Only two NBA players - DeAndre Jordan and Tyson Chandler - are shooting a higher percentage within eight-feet of the rim (minimum 200 attempts).

So, was the change inspired by his team's upcoming trip to the playoffs? Is it an expression of Raptors pride? Did he consider dying his beard too?

"I thought about it," he said. "I thought it would have been OD, though. I wasn't trying to go crazy."

Clearly, we were putting more thought into it than he had. Johnson's college barber had moved his shop from Winston-Salem to nearby Charlotte. Upon landing in North Carolina on Tuesday evening, the Wake Forest alum paid him a visit, spontaneously deciding to change things up and dye his hair a bright Raptors red.

Predictably, Amir Johnson loved his teammate's new hairdo. He once had the team logo carved into the back of his head. Outside of the Johnsons, the Raptors are a more conservative bunch. In other words, don't be expecting this specific brand of team spirit to catch on.

"It's terrible, in my opinion," DeMar DeRozan said of Johnson's new hairdo.

Would he ever consider following suit?

"Never in my life."

"It's an individual choice," added a less than enthusiastic Dwane Casey. "You'd prefer a guy not dye his hair red, but again, that's James - that's his decision. I don't advise it, but there's nothing in the team rules or anything that I can do about that. So that's his choice."

With Johnson, the Raptors know to expect the unexpected, both on and off the court.

"It's just regular for me," said the 28-year-old. "I'm always exercising my individuality, but still trying to keep it in team [guidelines]."

"That's just JJ," said teammate Greivis Vasquez. "I thought I was the most interesting man in Toronto, but JJ definitely beats everybody on our team. You know what I like about JJ? He has one face. He's not going to let anybody down. That's what he brings to the table. He can change the game in anyway and we need him."

Seeing him putting work in after hours wasn't out of the ordinary. Johnson routinely sticks around to shoot after practice, also returning to the gym with one of the assistant coaches following most games and on off-days.

All year, as his role has changed and his playing time has fluctuated, he's been told the same thing: stay ready and your opportunity will come. Casey continues to insist that they'll need the versatile forward and it's not just lip service. They will.

He's their wild card going into the playoffs.

--

ON THE MEND

With their eight regulars healthy, the Raptors are 25-14 this season, 21-18 without. They haven't started and finished a game at full strength in over three weeks, but reinforcements are on the way.

Kyle Lowry missed his seventh-straight game and ninth in the last 10 with a back injury Wednesday, while Amir Johnson's sprained ankle kept him out of his second consecutive contest.

Lowry has been a limited participant in practice and could return to action sometime during the team's upcoming back-to-back set in Florida this weekend - Friday in Orlando or Saturday in Miami.

Johnson's ankle swelled up the day after rolling it in last week's loss to Brooklyn. He wasn't able to put weight on it initially, but has been moving better over the last couple days and is also expected to return before the end of the regular season.

"We still haven't had a consistent lineup as a full group yet," DeRozan said. "So I think once we get that back, with Kyle coming back in the next few games and Amir working his way back, I think with them being healthy, it will definitely give us the energy on the defensive end that we need."

Although the Raptors are playing it safe with both injured starters, two of their most important contributors, their preference is to get them in at least a couple games before the playoffs begin on April 18. Toronto has four contests remaining - two sets of back-to-back sets.