Tag: Keyontae Johnson

Former Thunder Keyontae Johnson signs deal with Hornets

Former Thunder Keyontae Johnson signs deal with Hornets.

After his free agent rights were renounced earlier this offseason, Keyontae Johnson has found a new home. The 24-year-old has signed a contract with the Charlotte Hornets, per his agency Priority Sports.

This marks the end of a forgettable one-year stint for Johnson with the Thunder. He was the No. 50 selection of the 2023 NBA draft and was added on a two-way deal.

Johnson had a redshirt season last year and only totaled nine appearances in his rookie season. He averaged 1.2 points and 1.1 rebounds.

The 24-year-old spent most of his rookie campaign with the G League’s OKC Blue, where he was a starter on their quest to a championship.

Johnson played in five college seasons from 2018-23. He spent his first four campaigns in Florida before transferring to Kansas State for his final season.

He was limited to four games in his final two years with the Gators as he missed time with a heart condition discovered after he collapsed on the court in Dec. 2020.

The details of his deal with the Hornets are unknown, but it’s likely a two-way slot. He will have a chance to continue to develop in the G League while on an NBA squad more suited to give him consistent minutes.

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Thunder rookie Keyontae Johnson dropped second 30-point game in G League

Thunder rookie Keyontae Johnson produced another 30-point game on Friday in the G League to lead the Blue to a win over the Spurs.

Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Keyontae Johnson produced another 30-point game on Friday in the G League to lead the OKC Blue to a win over the Austin Spurs.

Johnson recorded 31 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots in the 120-101 victory at Paycom Center. He went 11-of-17 from the field, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range, in 31 minutes as the Blue improved to 10-11.

The 50th pick registered his second 30-point game with the performance. He scored 18 points in the second half as the Blue outscored the Spurs, 62-39, over the last two quarters to win.

Johnson, who is signed to a two-way contract, has spent most of the year in the G League. He is averaging 20.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals on 41.7% shooting from 3-point range in 26 games this season with the Blue.

The 23-year-old was among the players selected to compete in the G League Up Next Game at NBA All-Star Weekend as one of the standouts this season. He and the other players selected to the game had the opportunity to play and be recognized for their strong seasons.

Johnson previously earned praise from Thunder coach Mark Daigneault for his willingness to improve and work on his game daily. He has continued to show improvement, which was on display on Friday.

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2024 G League Up Next Game: Keyontae Johnson’s squad loses in semifinals

2024 G League Up Next Game: Keyontae Johnson’s squad loses in semifinals.

INDIANAPOLIS — The G League held a Next Up Game four-team tournament during Sunday’s All-Star weekend festivities.

It was the same format as the Rising Stars, who had a target score of 30 points.

Oklahoma City Thunder two-way rookie Keyontae Johnson participated in the event for the Giraffe Stars. They lost their semifinal matchup against BallisLife, 32-25.

In eight minutes, Johnson had one block and shot 0-of-1 from the field. He joined Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace for the All-Star weekend.

The 23-year-old has spent most of the season with the G League’s OKC Blue, where he’s improved upon his game due to the extra game reps.

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Recap: OKC Blue dominate Texas Legends in massive 145-94 win

Recap: OKC Blue dominate Texas Legends in massive 145-94 win.

After a week off, the G League’s OKC Blue returned to action in a dominant 145-94 win over the Texas Legends on Tuesday. The home win improved the Blue’s record to 8-9 on the season.

The Blue built a 28-25 lead following the first quarter. A 42-point second quarter gave OKC a 70-61 halftime lead. The dam broke in the third quarter: The Blue outscored the Legends, 34-16. The Blue entered the final frame holding a 104-77 lead. A 41-17 fourth-quarter scoring advantage led to the eye-popping 51-point margin of victory. OKC outscored Texas, 75-33, in the second half.

The Blue shot 57% from the field and went 14-of-33 (42.4%) from 3. They dished 33 assists on 55 baskets. Seven players scored double-digit points for the Blue.

Meanwhile, the Legends shot 34% from the field and went 14-of-52 (26.9%) from 3. They had four players score double-digit points.

On the boards, the Blue had a 72-32 rebounding advantage. Yes, you read that right — OKC had 40 more boards than Texas.

Some notable individual performances for both sides:

  • Keyontae Johnson: 29 points on 12-of-15 shooting, 4-of-4 from 3, seven rebounds
  • Olivier Sarr: 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, 18 rebounds, three assists, two blocks
  • Jahmi’us Ramsey: 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, 10 rebounds, five assists
  • Adam Flagler: 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting, 3-of-8 from 3, eight assists, five rebounds
  • Jaden Shackelford: 19 points on 5-of-14 shooting, 2-of-8 from 3, five assists
  • Caleb McConnell: 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting, nine rebounds, four assists
  • KJ Williams: 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, 2-of-3 from 3, seven rebounds
  • Mike Miles Jr.: 30 points on 9-of-18 shooting, 5-of-11 from 3, four rebounds
  • Justin Jackson: 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting, 2-of-5 from 3, three rebounds

The full highlights from the Blue’s 51-point win over the Dallas Mavericks’ G League affiliate can be watched below:

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Thunder coach Mark Daigneault praises Keyontae Johnson for productive season in G League

Thunder rookie Keyontae Johnson has emerged as one of the top players in the G League and was selected to participate in the Up Next Game.

Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Keyontae Johnson has emerged as one of the top players in the G League, and he was among 28 players selected to participate in the Up Next Game during NBA All-Star Weekend.

Johnson, who is signed to a two-way contract, has spent the majority of the season with the OKC Blue. He is averaging 20 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals on 36.6% shooting from 3-point range in 21 appearances.

The Thunder have utilized their G League affiliate extensively in past seasons with Tre Mann, Ousmane Dieng and Jaylin Williams, among others, spending time there. The organization likes the experience it provides the players and has found good success.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault is happy for Johnson’s early success.

I’m happy for him because he is a guy that we’ve really parked there up until this month. He played the majority of the first part of the season there. He has just put his head down and tried to improve. He has had a really productive season. He has been very efficient. He is a great teammate. He really learns and grows through his experiences. He never complains about anything. He is just grateful to be in the NBA and for every opportunity you give him, so to have him rewarded for that is awesome.

Johnson has scored in double figures in every game with the Blue, including eight 20-point efforts. He produced his best game on Jan. 9 with 33 points, 11 rebounds and three steals to become one of 13 G League players at the time to reach that stat line in a game.

The 50th pick will have the chance to showcase himself in the Up Next Game alongside some of the other top players in the G League on Feb. 18 at 1:30 p.m. EST. Daigneault believes the game will be great exposure for Johnson and the rest of the players.

“That thing is great for G League players as it relates to their reputation in the league,” Daigneault said. “A lot of times, that’s kind of an invisible league from a public standpoint, and even in the league, sometimes not every team is watching every game. For all the players in that game to get the exposure and reward for the way that they performed for the season is good for those guys and their individual careers.”

Note: Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire contributed to this report.

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Keyontae Johnson to participate in All-Star weekend for G League tournament

Keyontae Johnson to participate in All-Star weekend for G League tournament.

The NBA announced its player pool for the 2024 All-Star weekend G League Up Next Game, and Oklahoma City Thunder two-way rookie Keyontae Johnson was one of 28 participants.

In 21 games with the OKC Blue, Johnson has averaged 20 points on 53.3% shooting and 6.9 rebounds. The 23-year-old has appeared in six games for the Thunder.

“He’s grown a lot as a player,” Blue head coach Kameron Woods said on the selection. “For him to be recognized, to have a chance to play in it, that would be amazing.”

Woods, who’s in his second season as the Blue head coach, was also supportive of the G League tournament concept, stating it aligns with its experimental history.

“I think the league as a whole being kind of experimental with rules and different things like that are good. I think they’re good challenges for coaches,” Woods said. “They’re good challenges for players because they’re different. And that falls in that category. I don’t really know what’s going to come out of it but I know it’ll be good for whoever’s in it.

“And you know, all the experimental rules they do, all the things that are unique to the league, I think are unique for the coaches and everybody that’s a part of it as well. So I think all those things are good.”

The all-star event will feature four teams of seven players competing in a single-elimination tournament. Each team will be coached by a G League head coach. Players will be drafted by four social media influencers.

The full 28-player pool can be read below:

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The tournament will be held during All-Star weekend on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 1:30 p.m. C.T.

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Recap: OKC Blue win second night of back-to-back over Rio Grande Valley Vipers, 111-101

Recap: OKC Blue wins second night of back-to-back over Rio Grande Valley Vipers, 111-101.

Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, the G League’s OKC Blue collected a 111-101 win over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The home win improves the Blue to 2-6.

After losing to the Vipers in overtime the previous night, the Blue split the mini-baseball series against them with this 10-point win.

The Blue had a hot start and built a 34-26 lead after one quarter. At halftime, the OKC lead remained eight, 59-51. A 32-point third quarter helped OKC enter the final frame with a 93-80 advantage. The closest the Vipers came was an eight-point deficit, but the Blue were never in jeopardy of losing their lead in the fourth quarter.

The Blue shot 48% from the field and went 9-of-28 (32.1%) from 3. They had 24 assists on their 38 baskets. OKC committed 26 turnovers.

Meanwhile, the Vipers shot 37% from the field and went 7-of-33 (21.2%) from 3. They had 24 assists on 39 baskets. Rio Grande Valley committed 20 turnovers.

Some notable individual performances for both sides:

  • Keyontae Johnson: 27 points on 8-of-18 shooting, 1-of-3 from 3, 11 rebounds, four steals
  • Noah Starkey: 20 points on 10-of-15 shooting, 11 rebounds, three blocks
  • Miller Kopp: 16 points on 4-of-10 shooting from 3, four rebounds
  • Darius Days: 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting, 2-of-4 from 3, seven rebounds, two steals
  • Jarrett Culver: 13 points on 5-of-15 shooting, 1-of-6 from 3, five rebounds
  • Nate Williams: 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting, six rebounds

Here are the full highlights from the Blue’s 10-point win over the Houston Rockets‘ G League affiliate:

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Thunder rookie Keyontae Johnson erupts for 30-point double-double in G League

Thunder rookie Keyontae Johnson produced his first 30-point game in the G League on Tuesday to lead the Blue in a loss to the Vipers.

Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Keyontae Johnson produced his first 30-point game in the G League on Tuesday to lead the OKC Blue in a loss to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Johnson recorded 33 points, 11 rebounds and two steals in the 110-108 loss in overtime at Paycom Center. He finished 10-of-16 from the field, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range, in 38 minutes as the Blue dropped to 1-6 in the regular season.

The 50th pick became one of 13 players in the G League this season to record at least 33 points and 11 rebounds in a game. He tallied 12 points in the fourth quarter to help the Blue down the stretch.

Johnson, who is signed to a two-way contract, is averaging 19.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals on 36.8% shooting from 3-point range in 20 games with the Blue. He has scored in double figures in every game and has registered five 25-point outings.

The 23-year-old appears to be heating up with the Blue. He is second among all players in total scoring in January (104 points) and has shot 50% or better from the field in six of his seven games, capped by his effort on Tuesday against the Vipers.

Johnson is proving himself as a scorer and rebounder with the Blue and could be trending toward joining the Thunder at some point in the near future. The team is high on his potential and believes he can eventually contribute in the rotation.

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Recap: OKC Blue lose to Rio Grande Valley Vipers in OT, 110-108

Recap: OKC Blue loses to Rio Grande Valley Vipers in OT, 110-108.

The G League’s OKC Blue suffered a 110-108 overtime loss to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Tuesday. The home loss drops the Blue to 1-6.

In a race to seven points in overtime, Jermaine Samuels Jr hit the game-winning layup for the Vipers.

In the back-and-forth contest, neither team led by more than 15 points. The Vipers led by five following the first quarter, 32-27, and by nine at halftime.

The Blue used a 29-point third quarter to enter the final frame with a three-point lead. Regulation ended with the teams tied at 103 even though OKC led by as many as nine points in the period.

The Blue shot 40% from the field and went 9-of-27 (33.3%) from 3. They struggled from the free-throw line, going 17-of-27. Ball security was a problem as OKC committed 25 turnovers.

Meanwhile, the Vipers shot 40% from the field and went 9-of-36 (25%) from 3. They shot 13-of-21 from the free-throw line. Rio Grande Valley committed 23 turnovers.

Some notable individual performances for both sides:

  • Keyontae Johnson: 33 points on 10-of-16 shooting, 4-of-5 from 3, 11 rebounds
  • Ousmane Dieng: 17 points on 4-of-18 shooting, 0-of-5 from 3, 12 rebounds, six assists
  • Adam Flagler: 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, 3-of-4 from 3
  • Hunter Maldonado: 13 points on 6-of-15 shooting, eight rebounds, six assists, four steals
  • Jermaine Samuels Jr.: 30 points on 11-of-23 shooting, 2-of-7 from 3, 13 rebounds, three assists
  • Nate Williams: 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting, 14 rebounds, two steals
  • Nate Hinton: 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, six assists, four rebounds, three steals, three blocks

The full highlights from the Blue’s two-point OT loss to the Houston Rockets‘ G League affiliate can be watched below:

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Succeeding in the G League, Keyontae Johnson is staying ready for his opportunity

Succeeding in the G League, Keyontae Johnson is staying ready for his opportunity.

As the Oklahoma City Thunder prepare for a busy January, reinforcements could be on the way from the G League.

The Thunder (21-9) will play a brutal upcoming stretch of games. In January, they’re scheduled to play 17 games in 31 days, including five back-to-backs.

With such a high number of games, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault might need to dig into his bench to avoid overworking his starters in the dog days of the regular season.

“We have a very condensed schedule — as most NBA teams do —  coming up,” Daigneault said about expanding his rotation following their win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. “And we’re gonna need everybody. … We’ll continue to take a look at our whole roster.”

A potential benefactor of an expanded rotation is two-way rookie Keyontae Johnson. The 23-year-old has spent the bulk of the season with the G League’s OKC Blue.

After being drafted with the No. 50 pick of the 2023 NBA draft, Johnson has appeared in one game for the Thunder this season. He played six minutes in OKC’s home-opening loss to the Denver Nuggets.

This means the two-way rookie has 49 appearances left on his current two-way deal, which makes him an attractive option for absorbing minutes in the upcoming stretch.

In the G League, Johnson has been one of the Blue’s best players. In 13 games during the Winter Showcase portion of the season, he averaged 19.4 points on 53.9% shooting, 6.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He also shot 43.2% from 3 on 3.4 attempts.

In two games since, he’s averaged 18.5 points and 4.5 rebounds.

Johnson has found his groove as a small-ball forward/center who can stretch the floor and crash the boards. This type of prototype player could bolster OKC’s bench.

When asked how he thinks Johnson could look in the NBA if he gets called back up this season to absorb minutes, Blue head coach Kameron Woods is confident the transition would be seamless.

“When these (Thunder) guys are here and just knowing them, they’re hard-working guys that keep themselves ready,” Woods said. “I think they’ve done a nice job each individually growing in the areas that are most important to them.”

Johnson also said his extended time in the G League has proved valuable. It has given him a chance to receive significant playing time and chances to develop.

“It’s been good. Just helping me get the reps I need for me to be able to play with the Thunder one day,” Johnson said on his time with the Blue. “Just trying to do the best in my role they have me in.”

Discussing in-season improvements, Johnson said he’s slowly found his identity within OKC’s offense after overcoming a learning curve.

“Just being more aggressive. I feel like defending, picking up better. Just knowing my spots on the court,” Johnson said. “I feel like that’s the progression I’ve been making. At first, I was just running around, didn’t know where to be. Now it’s like I know (where to be).”

The NBA season is a seven-month grind in which teams play practically every other day. It’s only logical that requires teams to fully utilize their 18-player rosters throughout the season.

For the Thunder, this might mean needing their second-round rookie to translate his G League success to the NBA. The blueprint is there for Johnson to be a key contributor down the stretch.

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