Keshad Johnson’s role with the Miami Heat as a rookie was minimal, playing just 16 games and totaling 98 minutes. (Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
While Keshad Johnson was one of the more impactful two-way wings with the Sioux Falls Skyforce last season, his role in a crowded wing room with the Miami Heat was fairly limited.
He appeared in just 16 games while totaling 98 minutes, scoring 43 points with 28 rebounds, five steals and four blocks. Johnson’s rookie campaign was highlighted by a 17-point, eight-rebound, two-steal game across 28 minutes in the regular season finale against the Washington Wizards, converting on seven of his nine field goal attempts and 2-of-3 from 3-point range.
After his five-game stint with the Heat in Summer League, the 24-year-old wing revealed his biggest goal heading into the 2025-26 season.
“The goal is to crack the Heat’s rotation and prove that I belong on the floor,” Johnson said, according to the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang. “I’m just a winner. Whatever that takes. Whether it’s three-and-D, whether it’s getting down there and bumping with bigger guys, whatever it takes. I’m just trying to be whatever puts the team in the best position to win. That’s who I am and that’s who I want to be.
“They’ve invested in me. So that must mean they see something in me. So I just got to prove them right, prove them right, make sure they didn’t make the wrong decision.”
“The goal is to crack the Heat’s rotation and prove that I belong on the floor. … I’m just a winner. Whatever that takes. Whether it’s three-and-D, whether it’s getting down there and bumping with bigger guys, whatever it takes. I’m just trying to be whatever puts the team in… pic.twitter.com/fxbpiCP43i
— Hot Hot Hoops (@hothothoops) July 22, 2025
What Keshad Johnson must do to crack Heat rotation:
Johnson averaged 17.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks on 63.0 percent true shooting in 32 combined G-League games last season, including 21.2 points and 8.3 rebounds on 55.2/39.6/79.5 shooting splits in 13 G-League Showcase games.
The 6-foot-7 wing had a pretty uneven second Summer League with Miami, averaging just 12.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks on 50.0 percent shooting in five games. He did shoot just 26.3 percent from beyond the arc (5-19), but converted on 11 of his 15 free-throw tries (73.3 percent) during his abbreviated stint.
At his best, Johnson is freakishly athletic, strong play finisher who’s an above-average rebounder and a rangy multi-positional defender. However, I think Johnson must continue to improve not only his 3-point shooting (consistency; he’s streaky), but his ball handling and self creation if he wants to make this rotation.
As of right now, I think he’s still on the outside-looking-in, but there’s a role for him on this team. In essence, he’s a bigger, more athletic — albeit more raw — Haywood Highsmith. Johnson will have to crawl past Highsmith, as well as Jaime Jaquez, Simone Fontecchio, Nikola Jovic and Pelle Larsson, among others, for consistent rotation minutes.
Ultimately, he should get more run this season. He can be a complimentary piece, and the Heat must see what they have in him (among others) as he enters the final year of a two-year deal.
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