A little over one month into the 2024 NBA offseason, the Indiana Pacers have had a solid summer. The team re-signed Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin while agreeing to a contract extension with Andrew Nembhard. Externally, the Pacers drafted Johnny Furphy and signed James Wiseman.
The Pacers appear to be content with mostly running it back with the team that made it to the Eastern Conference Finals just a couple months ago. And according to the recent reports, the Pacers are not finished bringing the team back together.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pacers have re-signed forward James Johnson to a one-year, $3.3 million contract.
Free agent forward James Johnson is returning to the Indiana Pacers on a one-year, $3.3 million deal, Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN. At 37, Johnson’s presence remains valuable for a young team. pic.twitter.com/zNRuDWII5N
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 24, 2024
Johnson initially joined the Pacers during the 2022-23 season and has spent parts of the last two seasons with the team. In that time, the Wyoming native has appeared in 27 games, starting one of them. With Indiana, Johnson has averaged 2.2 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.
The 37-year-old has previously spent time with the Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, and Brooklyn Nets.
James Johnson's impact goes beyond the court
During his time with the Pacers so far, Johnson has had very little impact on the court. As it stands, it does not seem like this will change anytime soon. However, that is not to neglect the value he does bring to a team like the Pacers.
Indiana is an incredibly young and relatively inexperienced team. Prior to re-signing Johnson, Siakam and T.J. McConnell were the only players on the roster who were at least 30 years old. By bringing Johnson back, they get another seasoned veteran and locker room presence.
Last season, Pacers wing Kendall Brown spoke about Johnson's value to him as a teammate, calling him "a great person."
"He's a great person, great vet," Pacers second-year wing Kendall Brown said of Johnson earlier this season. "He's going to bring a lot of energy and toughness to the team."
Additionally, head coach Rick Carlisle, who also coached Johnson with the Mavericks during the 2020-21 season, spoke highly of Johnson's presence after the team re-signed him last year.
"Very important for us," Carlisle said of re-signing Johnson. "Glad that we could get it worked out. He's contributed so much to our situation just in terms of setting examples, mentoring, being very positive, being very truthful.
"He has a really strong reputation in this league as a great competitors , as a very tough guy. Those kinds of things. He's been a difference maker so it's great to have him back on board."
In what will be his 16th season in the NBA, Johnson provides value as an enforcer and veteran leader. And for a young team like the Pacers who are looking to contend for a championship as soon as possible, having a guy like him on the roster could pay dividends for the future.