Keshad Johnson leaves summer league with a clear objective ‘to crack the Heat’s rotation.’ Can he?
After spending most of his rookie season in the G League, Miami Heat forward Keshad Johnson has something to prove this offseason.
“The goal is to crack the Heat’s rotation and prove that I belong on the floor,” Johnson said, as he prepares for his second NBA season.
Johnson had an opportunity to show off his growth and improvement in recent weeks during summer league, averaging 12 points, five rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 22 of 44 (50%) from the field and 5 of 19 (26.3%) from three-point range in five summer league appearances for the Heat. As one of three players on the Heat’s summer squad on the Heat’s NBA roster last season, Johnson also served as one of the leaders for Miami’s summer league team this year.
“Just hoping to prove that I got better throughout the year and that I learned a lot, that I’m more poised, that I’m a leader,” Johnson, 24, said of what he wanted to showcase during summer league.
It wasn’t perfect for Johnson, who struggled in one of his five summer league games to total just five points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field and 0-of-5 shooting from three-point range in the Heat’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on July 13 in Las Vegas. He also shot under 30% from behind the arc during his five summer league appearances.
But there was more good than bad for Johnson in summer league, especially on defense. The athletic 6-foot-6 and 230-pound Johnson totaled three steals and nine blocks while displaying his ability to guard multiple positions during summer league.
“The game is slowing down on defense,” said Johnson, who was the featured guest at Jr. Heat Basketball Camp at SLAM! Miami charter school and Cooper City High School on Tuesday. “Being able to make the right reads, being able to just slow down and see schemes that the offensive team is using so I can kind of jump the gun sometimes. Just being more experienced overall.”
But Johnson knows improvement is still needed in other areas of his game to earn consistent NBA playing time. To become the three-and-D forward some project him to be, he will need to continue to work on his three-point shooting after making just 30.4% of his threes in 32 G League games last season and also struggling to hit threes at an efficient rate during this year’s summer league.
“You got to be able to make open shots, be able to be the release for the other guys when they’re getting doubled,” Johnson said. “Being able to take advantage of all open opportunities. That’s what the game is coming to these days, being able to make an open three-point shot. So if I can just do that, it will be hard to keep me off the floor.”
Johnson has a solid foundation to build on after impressing in the G League with averages of 17.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per game with the the Sioux Falls Skyforce last season.
However, Johnson’s NBA playing time with the Heat was limited. He appeared in just 16 NBA games last regular season and logged double-digit minutes in only three of those NBA regular-season appearances.
“He’s just got to continue to do what he’s done,” Heat assistant coach and summer league head coach Eric Glass said when asked what it will take for Johnson to get consistent NBA playing time. “We had a heavy load of guys ahead of him in terms of [Nikola Jovic], [Jaime Jaquez Jr.], [Haywood Highsmith] and then Kyle Anderson and then Bam [Adebayo] playing the four.
“So there were a lot of guys ahead of him, and that wasn’t anything really against what he was doing. But he’s just got to stay ready, continue to do what he’s doing. He’s been a rock for us on defense. Offensively, we found ways to get him a little bit more involved in actions. He’s not an on-ball guy. But he’s a good screener, good catch-and-go, good three-point shooter. And when he gets in transition, that’s where he really can be special. So we’re trying to highlight those things for him. But he just has to stay steady with what he’s doing.”
What feedback has Johnson received from Heat coaches this offseason?
“Just build on who I am already,” Johnson said. “Be that effort guy, be that effort guy throughout the whole game.”
After going undrafted out of Arizona last year, Johnson doesn’t care what it takes. He just wants to prove he deserves more NBA minutes this upcoming season.
“I’m just a winner. Whatever that takes,” he said. “Whether it’s three-and-D, whether it’s getting down there and bumping with bigger guys, whatever it takes. I’m just trying to be whatever puts the team in the best position to win. That’s who I am and that’s who I want to be.”
The Heat believes Johnson can eventually become that player, recently opting to guarantee his full $2 million salary for next season.
“They’ve invested in me,” Johnson said. “So that must mean they see something in me. So I just got to prove them right, prove them right, make sure they didn’t make the wrong decision.”
