There have been several incarnations of Joe Johnson over the years. He was a top-10 pick who did not quite fit in Boston, which led to a trade to Phoenix, where he found his calling as Steve Nash’s favorite gunner. Johnson was an obscenely expensive, yet underappreciated, All-Star in Atlanta. He was also a solid, but somewhat disappointing, cog on a superteam in Brooklyn that ended up being far from super.

Through it all, Johnson ignored the chatter and remained a player who says little in the locker room but wants the ball when the game is on the line.

In Johnson’s latest chapter, he is trying something new: He comes off the bench for the Utah Jazz, who unexpectedly are relying on him offensively during their playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers — the only first-round series this year to last seven games. Johnson’s new role was clear Friday night in a tough 98-93 loss in Game 6, in which Johnson, rather than any of the team’s starters, was given the ball in the final seconds with a chance to tie. His 3-point attempt was a brick and allowed the Clippers to hang on for the win.

That it came down to Johnson was remarkable, since during the season the Jazz were a tough, entertaining team thanks chiefly to Rudy Gobert, Gordon Hayward and George Hill. Johnson, a 16-year veteran and seven-time All-Star, was mostly an afterthought, averaging 23.6 minutes a game.