Miami Heat undrafted rookie Keshad Johnson has dominated with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the team’s G-League affiliate, in limited action to begin the 2024-25 season.
Though he made his first two career appearances with the NBA club this week. And the 6-foot-7 versatile wing, currently on a two-way contract with the organization, is determined to remain with the club.
“It’s all about staying consistent,” he said, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “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.”
Johnson made his first appearance against the Boston Celtics inside TD Garden. Checking in as a small-ball five, he scored his first career points with under three minutes left in the third quarter.
It marked Johnson’s only basket of the game, scoring just two points in seven minutes. He played in six minutes in the Heat’s 41-point blowout over the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday, but recorded just two defensive rebounds without a field goal attempt.
He’s been one of the best players in the G-League since the onset of the tip-off tournament. In nine games, he’s averaged 24.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals on 57.4 percent shooting and 40.0 percent from 3-point range (3.9 3PA). He most recently won the G-League Player of the Week after a pair of dominant performances against the Motor City Cruise (Detroit), averaging 30.0 points and 7.5 rebounds on a combined 21-of-28 (75.0 percent) shooting and 5-of-9 from 3-point range (55.6 percent).
“We’ve been encouraged by what he’s been able to do,” Spoelstra said. “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.”
The 3-point shooting is the swing skill for Johnson, a tremendously strong and powerful athlete who’s very disruptive on the defensive end of the floor. Though scoring won’t always get you an automatic raise to the NBA level — dominating a specific role conducive to winning will. And that’s exactly what Johnson’s done, which could translate into success at the next level if his opportunity continues to expand.
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Good luck to KJ, and he has a chance. But, we should not get too excited by G league success. It always reminds me of when the U of Miami blows out an early season opponent like Bethune Cookman. The step up from G league to NBA is huge, and 95% can’t make that step. And those that do are usually only rotation pieces.