Tag: Keyontae Johnson

OKC Thunder 2023 rookie intro press conference: Biggest takeaways

Recapping Cason Wallace’s and Keyontae Johnson’s introductory press conference:

The Oklahoma City Thunder held their rookie introductory press conference on Saturday as rookies Cason Wallace and Keyontae Johnson spoke to local media for the first time since being drafted.

The Thunder came away with the 2023 NBA draft with the pair of rookies at the No. 10 and No. 50 spots of the draft. The Thunder completed a draft-night trade with the Dallas Mavericks to move up two spots to select Wallace.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti also spoke in the press conference.

Afterward, scrums were held with the media by Presti, Wallace, Johnson and Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault — who was in attendance alongside owner Clay Bennett.

Let’s look at the biggest takeaways and quotes from the presser and the post-presser scrums.

2023 NBA draft grades: What experts are saying about the OKC Thunder’s selections

Here’s how the Thunder graded out in their two-player draft haul:

The Oklahoma City Thunder continues to solidify their young core with the addition of a pair of rookies in the 2023 NBA draft.

After trading up with the Dallas Mavericks, the Thunder drafted Kentucky guard Cason Wallace with the No. 10 pick. 40 picks later at the No. 50 spot, the Thunder drafted Kansas State forward Keyontae Johnson.

It was a relatively quiet night for the Thunder, as they came away with just two players in the 58-man draft. Nonetheless, it was a solid haul for OKC.

Let’s look at what grades were handed to the Thunder by various analysts across the NBA media world.

OKC Thunder voices zero concerns over Keyontae Johnson’s heart condition

“We have seen all the information, the league’s seen all the information. So you know, you’re careful with every player but we feel really good about it.”

The biggest story surrounding second-round pick Keyontae Johnson revolves around what happened to him on the court two and a half years ago.

In December 2020, Johnson collapsed on the court and was subsequently in a coma for three days. In the aftermath, he was offered an insurance settlement worth millions. Instead, he passed up on the guaranteed money for a shot to eventually make the NBA.

After totaling just five games in two seasons following his collapse, Johnson elected to transfer out of Florida to Kansas State for his senior season. In 36 games last season, he averaged 17.4 points on 51.6% shooting, 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

The NBA cleared Johnson to be eligible to be drafted after reviewing his heart condition — known as “Athlete’s heart” — on May 26.

Johnson’s dreams were finally realized on Thursday when the Oklahoma City Thunder selected the 23-year-old with the No. 50 pick.

The first question in most people’s minds when it comes to Johnson’s future is his health. After suffering a health scare of that magnitude, is it possible for him to play professional basketball for the long term?

All signs point towards yes.

In his post-draft press conference, Thunder general manager Sam Presti confirmed they did their due diligence on Johnson’s health and came away confident he’ll have a normal NBA career.

“In this particular case, the league is really the body that approves that. We were obviously very comfortable with all the information and the last week, you know, really, are the people that are saying he’s able to be drafted,” Presti said. “But we didn’t really have any concerns with that. We have seen all the information, the league’s seen all the information. So you know, you’re careful with every player but we feel really good about it.”

Thanks to modern medicine and medical professionals, Johnson will get the chance to live out his dream as an NBA player. It’ll be a tough battle as he fights to climb the roster totem pole. He will likely start his rookie season on a two-way deal and spend most of it in the G League.

With that said, his upcoming battle in staying with the NBA will look trivial compared to his previous battles and victories in overcoming his scary on-court incident and dealing with the aftermath of it.

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2023 NBA draft: Grading the OKC Thunder’s selections

Handing out draft grades for both of the Thunder’s selections:

The 2023 NBA draft is officially over and the Oklahoma City Thunder ended the night with a pair of new rookies.

In a trade with the Dallas Mavericks, the Thunder acquired Kentucky guard Cason Wallace with the No. 10 pick. At the No. 50 pick, the Thunder drafted Kansas State forward Keyontae Johnson.

Wallace will get a chance to earn rotation minutes right off the bat, as he will likely start the year off the bench. Meanwhile, Johnson will likely spend most of his rookie season on the G League’s OKC Blue as he will likely slide into the new third two-way spot.

Let’s hand out draft grades for both Wallace and Johnson as the Thunder continue to fortify their young roster.

Thunder GM Sam Presti’s post-draft presser: Biggest takeaways

The biggest takeaways from Sam Presti’s & Acie Law’s post-draft presser:

The 2023 NBA draft is over, and the Oklahoma City Thunder added a pair of rookies to their roster.

After completing a trade with the Dallas Mavericks, the Thunder acquired Kentucky guard Cason Wallace with the No. 10 pick of the first round. The Thunder added Kansas State forward Keyontae Johnson with the No. 50 pick of the second round.

Afterward, Thunder general manager Sam Presti held his post-draft press conference along with the Director of Amateur Evaluation Acie Law. Both spoke about the Thunder’s latest additions, as well as a wide variety of other topics.

Let’s look at the biggest quotes and takeaways from Presti’s late-night presser following the draft.

2023 NBA draft: OKC Thunder select Keyontae Johnson with the No. 50 pick

The Thunder selected Keyontae Johnson with the No. 50 pick of the 2023 NBA draft.

The Oklahoma City Thunder selected Kansas State forward Keyontae Johnson with the No. 50 pick in the second round of the 2023 NBA draft.

The 23-year-old spent five seasons in college. He played in Florida his first four seasons before transferring to Kansas State for his final season. In 36 games last season, he averaged 17.4 points on 51.6% shooting, 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He shot 40.5% from 3 on an average of 3.2 attempts per game.

The Thunder completed their draft haul with Johnson and Kentucky guard Cason Wallace, whom OKC traded with the Dallas Mavericks to move up to No. 10 to select.

Johnson will likely be added to the Thunder’s roster with the third two-way spot the league recently added following CBA negotiations.

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Warriors holding pre-draft workouts with five prospects, including Duke’s Dereck Lively II

The Warriors will reportedly bring in five prospects for a pre-draft workout on Monday.

While the Golden State Warriors are searching to find the successor to Bob Myers at the top of the front office, they will also have to keep an eye upcoming NBA draft. On June 22, the Warriors will have the chance to add a player in the first round of the 2023 NBA draft with the No. 19 overall pick.

Before draft day, the Warriors are working out a flurry of different prospects. Following players like UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, the next group of players will reportedly work out with the Warriors on Monday.

According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Duke’s Dereck Lively II, Kansas’ Jalen Wilson, Florida’s Colin Castleton, Kansas State’s Keyontae Johnson and Creighton’s Arthur Kaluma are set to work out with the Warriors on Monday.

Via @anthonyVslater on Twitter:

Lively II headlines the group of six players scheduled for a workout with the Warriors. The former 5-star top recruit turned Duke Blue Devil tallied 5.2 points on 65.8% shooting from the floor with 5.4 boards and 2.4 rejections in 20.6 minutes per game during his first season at Cameron Indoor. 

Lively was the only member of the upcoming group to land in the first round of Cody Taylor’s latest mock draft for Rookie. Lively II went off the board at No. 20 to the Houston Rockets. Wilson was featured in the second round of Taylor’s latest mock. 

Wilson played four seasons at Kansas, winning an NCAA title in 2022. During his final season in Lawerence, Wilson averaged 20.1 points on 43% shooting from the field with 8.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game last year. 

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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2023 NBA Mock Draft 5.0: 58 projections after the early entry withdrawal deadline

Rookie Wire took a look at where the next draft class stands following the early entry withdrawal deadline.

The NBA pre-draft process crossed another important checkpoint on the schedule with the early entry withdrawal deadline coming and going this week.

Prospects had the opportunity to test the waters and meet with teams to gain feedback on their potential draft stock. To maintain their remaining college eligibility, they had to withdraw from consideration by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.

The deadline saw several potential second-round picks withdraw from the draft and return to school. With name, image and likeness playing a prevalent role in college basketball, players were likely swayed to stay one more year to work on their games and capitalize financially.

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The 2024 draft is also projected to be weaker than in past years, which also may have played a role in some players opting against turning pro. They likely believe they will have a greater chance of being a first-round pick next year.

With several players off the board, teams can prioritize workouts and interviews with those individuals remaining in the draft. As a result, players’ stock will continue to fluctuate with less than three weeks to go until the draft.

Rookie Wire took a look at where the draft stands following the early entry withdrawal deadline. Team needs were taken into consideration for these picks.

Kansas State forward Keyontae Johnson cleared to be drafted by fitness panel

Johnson was named a third-team All-American after averaging 17.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and one steal.

Kansas State forward Keyontae Johnson was reportedly cleared to be drafted this year by a Fitness to Play panel, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Johnson collapsed on the court in December 2020 during his junior year with Florida in a game against Florida State. He spent three days in a medically-induced coma and was diagnosed with a heart condition. He made a ceremonial appearance with the Gators in March 2022.

He was cleared to play again and transferred to Kansas State for this past season. He was named a third-team All-American after averaging 17.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and one steal in 36 appearances with the Wildcats.

By receiving clearance from the panel, which consists of three physicians, Johnson is eligible to participate in pre-draft workouts with teams. He was only able to interview with teams at the draft combine earlier this month in Chicago, Illinois.

Johnson is viewed as a second-round pick after helping the Wildcats advance to the Elite Eight. He will have the opportunity to improve his stock now that he has been cleared for workouts.

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Former Gator Keyontae Johnson declares for NBA draft

Once a Gator, always a Gator. Former Florida forward Keyontae Johnson has declared for the 2023 NBA draft.

Kansas State forward [autotag]Keyontae Johnson[/autotag] is headed to the NBA, but before he ever donned the Royal Purple he bled Orange and Blue.

Jonhson’s time as Florida Gator made national headlines for both good and bad reasons. The Preseason All-SEC Player of the Year heading into the 2020-21 season, Johnson was expected to be one of the very best to play at the O’Connell Center. He averaged 14.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game as a sophomore.

Unfortunately, Johnson collapsed on Dec. 12, 2020, against Florida State and remained in a medically induced coma for three days. At the time, playing professional basketball was an afterthought compared to the rehabilitation process Johnson would have to go to, but some 850 days later, he’s ready to take a shot at the pros.

Florida kept Johnson on the roster through the 2021-22 season. He made a ceremonial start against Kentucky and said farewell to the Florida faithful before moving to a college that would clear him to play basketball again.

Johnson shined at K-State. He was one of the top offensive threats in the Big 12 and averaged 17.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He also shot over 40% from the three-point line.

He was a critical piece of the Wildcats’ improbable NCAA Tournament runs and will likely be an early second-round pick over the summer. Johnson is still maintaining his collegiate eligibility, though. He could come back for another year of college ball to elevate his draft stock thanks to a medical redshirt rule.

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