Rookie Johnson flashes some skills Bulls need

When Bulls practice ended Monday at the Berto Center, four players stuck around for a lengthy session of rotating one-on-one games.

The participants were Derrick Rose, Jannero Pargo, James Johnson and Taj Gibson, with player development coach Randy Brown watching intently.

While the other side of the gym was being prepared for a holiday party, each player got one shot against one defender. If it didn't fall, someone else stepped in.

"I loved it," Rose said. "In Memphis, we used to always do it because our offense was like that where we have to blow past people like that. So it was fun."

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Johnson, meanwhile, was able to strate the full range of his skills. The 6-foot-8 rookie from Wake Forest can shoot from the outside, dribble like a two guard, attack the basket and flash impressive athleticism.

Bulls fans haven't seen much of those talents in a game this season. Johnson is averaging 3.7 points and even when he received more playing time last weekend in losses to Cleveland and Toronto, he produced 7 points and 10 fouls during 37 minutes of action.

But based on Monday's drills, maybe Johnson is capable of helping the Bulls escape their offensive doldrums. They've scored 100 points just once all season and managed a miserable 78 on Saturday against a Raptors team that had been giving up 114.5 on the road this year.

"I do want to step up and be the man I know I can be on defense and offense," Johnson said. "The only thing that gets me nervous when I get in games is knowing where I need to be on defense. Getting the ball on offense, I'm 100 percent comfortable. It's the other end of the floor that I'm unsure sometimes and when I'm unsure, that means it throws off the other four guys."

For several weeks, coach Vinny Del Negro has praised Johnson's improvement in practice and vowed to do a better job of finding him playing time. About halfway through Monday's one-on-one session, Del Negro came down from his office and watched the action from under the basket.

"James, he's definitely a talent," Rose said. "He has a big body, plays like a two guard. He's been playing great in practice. Now we just need him for the game."

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"Seeing what LeBron could do and guarding Kobe a little bit just made me work harder," Johnson said. "I want to come in, lift more weights, shoot more jumpers, get more conditioning, because I see how good those guys are and I want to be better.

"I think (his martial arts background) is mostly why I'm not scared of people. But their skills are great. They're all-stars for a reason. I can't wait to get there."