Wesley Johnson’s defensive versatility makes him a key component to Clippers rotation

Wesley Johnson became the Clippers’ handyman Saturday night against the Utah Jazz.

The 6-foot-7, 215-pound Johnson was asked to defend Utah’s 6-10, 265-pound power forward Derrick Favors at times. Johnson was asked to defend Jazz rookie guard sensation Donovan Mitchell. Johnson was asked to defend Jazz shooting star Joe Ingles.

It was his versatility that allowed Johnson to pull off that feat, to be able to defend multiple positions.

“I’m playing everywhere,” Johnson said, laughing. “I play power forward. I play wherever [Clippers coach] Doc [Rivers] needs me. I try to know all the schemes and know the rotations. So I just try to pay attention to the details and know the scouts because I’m all over the place.”

Johnson is a small forward, but he can defend players at his position, power forwards and guards.

“He can guard three positions,” Blake Griffin said. “He can get up and block shots. He can get steals, get out on the floor and finish in transition, knock the three down. He can do so many different things. He’s very valuable for us.”

Johnson also provided the Clippers with some offense as well, scoring 17 points and grabbing eight rebounds.

That marked his fifth consecutive game scoring in double figures, the longest stretch of his three years with the Clippers. His career long of scoring in double figures is six games, which Johnson can tie when the Clippers meet the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night at Staples Center.

“I’m just being aggressive,” Johnson said. “That’s all they are telling me, come out and be aggressive, especially on the defensive end. On offense, when they trap Lou [Williams] or Blake, it gives me a lot of opportunities to shoot.”

Johnson was so good against the Jazz that Rivers even ran plays for his forward out of timeouts.

“That makes me feel good,” Johnson said. “He has a lot of trust in me. You’ve got to build it with him and I think he’s starting to lean that way.”

Johnson had missed five games because of a sore left foot.

Slowly, Johnson has gotten his health and in the process he has become more productive.

“I think he’s healthy,” Griffin said. “He’s confident. He’s had a couple of nagging injuries here and there. It’s hard to play when you have stuff like that. He’s done a great job of playing hard and playing through pain. He’s been healthy now and very, very confident. He’s a good player. He knows what to do. He can affect the game in so many different ways and not just scoring the ball.”

The Clippers are down bodies, but Johnson said he’s not trying to gut it out because they are so short-handed.

“No, I’m just playing regardless of the circumstances,” Johnson said. “If they have the regular lineup or the lineup we have, I know I was going to be used in certain ways. So I just have to go out there and play regardless.”

VS. MINNESOTA

When: Monday, 7:30 p.m.

On the air: TV: Prime Ticket; Radio: 570, 1330.

Update: Minnesota center Karl-Anthony Towns leads the NBA in double-doubles with 40. He’s ranked fifth in the NBA in rebounding (12.0), and averages 20.2 points per game.

broderick.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @BA_Turner