Joe Johnson set to work out for the Sixers

In the wake of Jimmy Butler’s departure, the Sixers are looking for guys to step up this season and fill the isolation role Jimmy Buckets occupied offensively. Well, if you’re searching for a guy able to score in isolation, why not take a look at the guy nicknamed Iso Joe?

As mentioned by Spears in the above tweet, 38-year-old Joe Johnson is currently awaiting the Big 3 title game, after an MVP season that saw him lead the league in points, assists, and 4-pointers (that’s right, 4-pointers).

Despite the plethora of familiar faces, the Big 3 is obviously a far cry from the NBA. Johnson was out of the Association last season, after playing a total of 55 games for Utah and Houston during the 2017-18 regular season (shooting just 27.6 percent from 3), and appearing in eight postseason games for the Rockets.

Still, I wouldn’t be opposed to signing the 7-time All-Star to a training camp deal to see what he has left in the tank. Best case scenario, Johnson proves he can still help an NBA team and he takes a spot from Furkan Korkmaz on the opening night roster. Worst case scenario, it’s another fun story to follow in what can often feel like a long, unnecessary lead-up to the season getting underway.

We’ll see if Johnson catches on with the Sixers, or another one of those teams mentioned (which Spears later tweeted also includes the Pelicans), in the days and weeks to come.

Update: Joe Johnson will not be the only guy at Thursday’s workout who played in the NBA during the first decade of the new millennium.

Spencer Hawes, who played three and a half seasons with the Sixers leading up to the first year of the Process, has not taken the court for an NBA team since the 2016-17 season. Though Hawes is seven years younger than Johnson, this invite feels more like Elton Brand doing a solid for a former Sixers teammate.