It has been quite the week for Heat undrafted standout Keshad Johnson: ‘I’m here to stay’
It has been quite the week for Miami Heat undrafted rookie forward Keshad Johnson.
In Monday’s loss to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden, Johnson logged his first NBA regular-season minutes and scored his first NBA regular-season points.
On Tuesday, Johnson was named the G League Player of the Week for his standout performances with the Heat’s developmental affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, during the week of Nov. 25 through Dec. 1.
“It’s been great basketball the whole season, especially being down there in the G [League],” Johnson said. “It’s been a fun season connecting with those guys. And then coming back up here and learning from the older guys, it’s just an all around blessing.”
Johnson is one of the three Heat players currently signed to a two-way contract, which allows for players to be on their NBA team’s active list for as many as 50 regular-season games but do not come with playoff eligibility.
Johnson, 23, is with the Heat for Saturday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns at Kaseya Center after being recalled from the G League a few days ago. But it’s his work in the G League so far this season that has caught the Heat’s attention.
Johnson, who signed with the Heat right after he went undrafted out of Arizona this past offseason and then impressed in summer league, has averaged 24.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 57.4 percent from the field and 14 of 35 (40 percent) from three-point range in nine appearances with the Skyforce this season. The Skyforce posted a 7-2 record in those games.
“We’ve been encouraged by what he’s been able to do,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Kaseya Center (6 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun) to complete the Heat’s back-to-back set in Miami. “One, he’s been able to impact winning. He was the [G League] Player of the Week this week, but really the message that we have for him is that it always comes from winning first.
“Of course, he’s done some dynamic things in terms of his scoring, getting to the rim, his three-point spacing has improved. Defensively, he’s played a lot of dynamic small ball five. He’s been able to switch and guard different kinds of guys. All of that has been good for his development.”
Johnson, a 6-foot-7 and 225-pound forward, can’t be signed away by another NBA team since he’s committed to a two-way contract with the Heat.
“I’ve just been learning how to play basketball the right way, learning how not to force anything,” Johnson said of his improvement since joining the Heat this past summer. “All the baskets that I get are coming within the game.”
Johnson’s first NBA basket was an example of that growth, as he set a screen for Heat teammate Duncan Robinson and rolled into the paint before catching a pass from Robinson and throwing down a dunk.
“I got my first points off of just the things that I built on in summer league and in the G League,” Johnson said. “Just by rolling hard and Duncan found me.”
In the G League, Johnson has been used as a small-ball center for extended stretches as the Heat continues to explore different layers of his game. But Johnson’s primary NBA role projects to be a physical and athletic three-and-D forward.
“He’s not concerned about whether he gets the ball every time or if he’s involved in every action,” Skyforce head coach Dan Bisaccio said of Johnson. “He’s a great teammate, he guards the ball, he defends at a high level, he rebounds and then he makes plays from there.”
Two-way deals, which pay half the NBA rookie minimum and do not count toward the salary cap or luxury tax, can be swapped out at any time without affecting a team’s salary cap.
But Johnson isn’t in danger of being dumped by the Heat after his eye-opening start to the season.
Instead, Johnson’s goal is to be moved to a standard NBA contract at some point this season. But if that happens, the switch will likely need to wait a few months because of the Heat’s position against the ultra-punitive second apron.
Whenever and however it happens, Johnson wants to be the next player on the Heat’s list of undrafted success stories that also includes Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Robinson, Caleb Martin, Haywood Highsmith, Tyler Johnson and Udonis Haslem, among others.
“It’s always good to get recognized,” Johnson said of recently being named the G League Player of the Week. “But at this point, it’s all about staying consistent. It’s just a week. I got to build on it and make it a month, build on it and make it a year.
“I’m here to stay, for real.”
IN THE G LEAGUE
While Johnson is currently with the Heat, Heat first-round pick Kel’el Ware is with the Skyforce for his first G League stint.
In Ware’s G League debut on Thursday, the 7-footer recorded 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field and 1-of-4 shooting on threes, 12 rebounds, two steals and two blocks in the Skyforce’s 102-81 win over the Chicago Bulls’ G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls.
“The next logical thing is to try to get him some time, get him some minutes and see how he can impact winning,” Spoelstra said of sending Ware to the G League. “But I’m encouraged by the work that he’s been putting in.”
Ware has logged just 69 minutes with the Heat this season after being selected with the 15th overall pick in this year’s draft.
The Skyforce’s next game is Sunday against the Denver Nuggets’ G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold.
INJURY REPORT
The Heat ruled out Josh Christopher and Ware for Saturday’s game against the Suns. Both Christopher and Ware are in the G League with the Skyforce.
The Heat also listed Pelle Larsson as questionable after he sprained his right ankle during Friday’s practice.
Heat star Jimmy Butler is probable to play due to right knee soreness.
The Suns ruled out Jalen Bridges (G League), Kevin Durant (left ankle sprain), Collin Gillespie (G League) and Jusuf Nurkic (right thigh contusion) for Saturday’s game in Miami.
