Nets' Keon Johnson hoping his Summer League performance leads to roster spot
LAS VEGAS — Players come to Summer League with different plans.
Rookies try to manage their first taste of being a professional. Second-year guys hope to show they’ve improved.
Then there are free agents treating it like a job audition. That’s where Keon Johnson fits after four games with the Nets, hoping that each one gets him closer to a roster spot.
In the 6-4 guard’s first game, he hit the game-winning shot in overtime to beat the Pacers. He had 27 points and four steals in the Nets’ loss to the Clippers on Sunday. Thursday was his best game as a playmaker with 10 assists to go with 12 points in the Nets’ 102-100 overtime win over the Magic.
“I feel like I’ve made a decent impression. It’s a lot of room to grow,” Johnson said Tuesday. “But I’ve seen on the film where it’s been multiple times where I can show my stamp on the game more, and I feel like each day I’ve kind of progressed and got better at that.”
A first-round pick in 2021, Johnson was on a two-way contract with the Nets last season. He appeared in five games and the Nets were his third team in as many seasons.
Johnson is mostly known for having a 48-inch vertical leap, which set an NBA Combine record. But in Summer League play, he’s garnered more attention on defense. Before his four-steal game, he had three blocks and six assists against the Pacers.
Nets coach Jordi Fernandez texted Johnson before Summer League to be a dog on defense. Summer League coach Steve Hetzel took it further by challenging him to be the best defender in Las Vegas.
He’s done what they’ve asked.
“I love Keon. I’ve known him for a while now,” said Hetzel, who was a Trail Blazers assistant coach when Johnson played 62 games for Portland over two seasons. “It’s been awesome to watch his growth as a person and a player, and I just love the fact that he’s getting to showcase all the things that he’s worked on and all the time that he spent in the gym to get to this position.”
The question is whether Johnson has done enough to return to the Nets. The team has one roster spot remaining, but the backcourt is pretty set.
Ben Simmons and Dennis Schroder are at point guard with Cam Thomas and Dariq Whitehead at shooting guard. Simmons’ injury history, however, means the Nets could use another lead guard.
Could Johnson fill that role? Maybe. It’s more likely that the Nets will keep an eye open for a veteran at the league minimum.
A second option is Johnson getting another two-way contract. With three years of NBA service, this is the last year he’s eligible for one.
He said Tuesday that he hadn’t gotten any feedback from the Nets’ front office. But with one game left in Las Vegas on Sunday, he hopes he’s done enough to secure his future next season.
“I feel like everything that I’m doing out there is completely translated to what I would be doing on the main court as far as playing defense, spacing the court and making open shots,” Johnson said. “And then whenever I do have the ball in my hands, just making simple reads.
“I feel like every day in Summer League I’ve kind of been showing that, and hopefully after Summer League, I’ll be able to do the same thing.”
Buzzer-beaters
Jalen Wilson is shooting 55.6% on three-pointers in Summer League after going 6-for-7 in the Nets’ win Thursday. Wilson had 33 points and 10 rebounds and is averaging 24.3 points through four games . . . Noah Clowney shot 5-for-8 on three-pointers after making only three combined in the Nets’ first three games. He finished with 18 points as the Nets improved to 3-1 . . . Whitehead did not play because of rest, the Nets said. His status for the team’s final game remains to be determined.
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
