Top-ranked Tennessee men’s basketball defeated Miami 75-62 in Tuesday’s Jimmy V Classic double-header at Madison Square Garden. Nets guard Keon Johnson, a former five-star recruit for the Volunteers, was in attendance supporting the orange and white.
“It was a good win. It was fun just sitting on the sideline watching those guys, catching up with the old coaching staff and just seeing all the old faces,” Johnson told reporters after Wednesday’s practice in Brooklyn.
Much has changed for the 22-year-old since. After his lone season in Knoxville, where he was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, he declared for the 2021 NBA Draft and was selected 21st overall by the Knicks and traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Quentin Grimes on the same night.
Johnson appeared in just 15 games as a rookie. He was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, then shipped off again to the Phoenix Suns, then cut ahead of last season. The Nets quickly scooped him up and signed him to a two-way deal. He averaged 12.2 minutes per game across five appearances in 2023-24 and spent most of the season with G League affiliate Long Island.
Johnson had a solid Summer League run with Portland two years ago. But last summer as an unrestricted free agent on Brooklyn’s Las Vegas roster, his natural scoring ability and elite athleticism were on full display. Nets assistant coach Steve Hetzel — who served as Brooklyn’s Summer League head coach and previously coached Johnson in Portland — was impressed. The 6-5 guard averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 assists and 4.8 rebounds in four appearances for the Nets in Las Vegas and was rewarded with a two-year deal.
Johnson’s persistence paid off. If last summer was a job interview, he aced it.
“I think good things happen to players that work really hard, and they do whatever it takes for the team,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “Keon’s been doing it… He’s in this position because he deserves it. He still has work to do and improve, but I’m very happy with him.”
Johnson has continued to carve out a consistent role this season in Brooklyn. He has appeared in 22 of 24 games while averaging 5.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists a night. His minutes have increased dramatically since Cam Thomas was injured against the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 25. He has logged three straight starts entering Friday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. While his offensive efficiency needs to improve, his defensive rating of 113.0 ranks fifth on the team among regular rotation players and his 12 total steals are tied for seventh.
“From what I’ve been doing well, just coming in every night and competing hard on the defensive end, and really just playing hard on the defensive end,” Johnson said. “Coach Jordi says all the time to keep letting the ball fly, keep shooting. It’s something that I’m continuing to work on and something I’m just getting more and more comfortable with. [That’s] pretty much it; just continuing to play hard and let the game come to me.”
Johnson went 4-of-8 from 3-point range against the Boston Celtics on Nov. 13, his shooting mechanics are solid, and his impressive 48-inch max vertical leap allows him to sky above defenders when he has a clear path to attack the rim. However, he is shooting just 34.8% from the field and 30.1% from deep this season — and just 26.1% over his last three appearances.
“I don’t care because I believe in the work that he puts in here every day, and I see it every day,” Fernandez said. “So, I don’t care if, in a game, he shoots five and makes one. It happens. It’s just a small sample size. These guys shoot the next 60, and then it’s going to be fine.
Part of Johnson inefficiency comes down to shot selection. The tools are already there. To take the next step in his development as a player, he must better understand when to shoot, when to use his athleticism to his advantage, and when to get his teammates involved.
“I feel like I’m doing a fairly good job,” Johnson said. “I do catch myself at times not shooting the ball and then getting my teammates into maybe a shot clock violation or something. So, I feel like night in and night out, I’ve been progressively getting better at when to shoot and also when to make a play for my teammates.”
While Johnson has already made significant strides in that regard, he obviously still has ways to go. It helps that he has a head coach that allows him to play through his mistakes and learn on the fly.
“Shoot, I played for Rick Barnes,” Johnson said. “I’ve had coaches where if you take one bad shot, you’re coming out. It definitely helps on the court knowing that you have a coach behind you where you may take a bad shot, but he’s going to let you play it out on the other end. It’s just good for all our guys, and we have a lot of young guys, so it’s just good for us to play through that.”
Johnson has no choice but to continue to improve. Though he is under contract in Brooklyn now, his stay in the NBA is not guaranteed, nor is his spot in Fernandez’s rotation once Thomas is healthy enough to return. He deserves credit for what he has been able to accomplish so far, but his journey is far from over.
Long-term security is what he seeks, and the pursuit of it continues to motivate him.
“I wouldn’t necessarily call it a solidified role,” Johnson said. “I’m just taking advantage of the moment I’m in now. You don’t know what will happen on any given night, but every guy, one through 12, has to be ready for whenever their number is called. So, I feel like whether you’re starting or you’re coming off the bench, you have to come in and make an impact in some way, somehow.”