Nobody was more grateful than Keyontae Johnson when he was told last August that he could resume his college basketball career.
After missing nearly two years following an on-court collapse with a heart ailment in his junior season at Florida, he was cleared by Kansas State and wasted no time establishing himself as a legitimate NBA prospect as he helped lead the Wildcats to the NCAA Elite Eight.
He averaged 17.4 points and 6.8 rebounds on the way to Big 12 all-conference and third-team All-America honors and was projected as an early second-round pick in the June 22 NBA Draft. He also was invited to the NBA Draft Combine, further validation of his pro potential.
Sounds simple enough, but it turns out there where more hurdles to clear and more hoops to jump through. Just because K-State cleared him to play didn’t mean the NBA was waiting with a rubber stamp of approval.
“The process has been a little long,” Johnson told reporters Monday after a workout with the Golden State Warriors.
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NBA panel finally clears Keyontae Johnson
Golden State was Johnson’s third of four stops on a seven-day West Coast swing as he tries to make up for lost time since finally getting the green light from the NBA’s Fitness to Play Panel in late May.
While other draft prospects were getting ready for the draft, Johnson was busy gathering his medical records from the Mayo Clinic, setting up a conditioning regimen with his agent, and hoping for the best.
“When the combine came, all I did was just medical and interviews,” he said. “I didn’t work out. I just did medical stuff and interviews with teams.
“It was definitely hard, especially the knowing that I already went through the media screening that they wanted to see, but I had to keep going over it. So it was (testing) your patience and mental toughness.”
The day he got the go-ahead on May 26, two days after his 23rd birthday, was both a load off Johnson’s mind and cause for celebration.
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Johnson making up for lost time
“It was a good birthday present for me,” he said. “I was just blessed to finally get cleared and finally getting to showcase to teams what I’m capable of doing.”
He also hopes to show NBA teams during workouts that he is a reliable shooting threat, as evidenced by his 40.5 3-point percentage during his one season at K-State.
Johnson, a 6-foot-6 wing who has been projected as an early second-round pick in the draft, has plenty to offer. He is a rugged rebounder for his size, leading K-State in that department, and also was a favorite target of point guard Markquis Nowell on lob dunks.
“It’s grown a lot, because at Florida I didn’t take or make threes,” Johnson said of his perimeter game. “I feel like at K-State, coach (Jerome) Tang did a great job of letting me showcase it by playing me on the wing more and getting me more open shots.”
“I’m pleased that it ran through me this year, so I could showcase it more than what I did at Florida. I feel like this year I showed that I can catch and shoot and do some off the dribble and do it at a high rate.”
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As for possible holes in his game, Johnson said he has worked to improve his turnover-assist ratio as well as his off-the-ball defense. At age 23, he is mature enough to know that he is not a finished product.
“I feel like I work hard. I want to learn,” he said. “I’m not the type of guy that’s scared to ask for help.
“I want to be on a winning team. I do whatever it takes to win.”
Johnson also hopes that while chasing his own dreams, he can inspire others to do the same.
“The more people ask, the more I get comfortable telling it,” he said of his story, and what it took for him to reach this point. “I’m never tired of being inspirational to people.
“Just never give up.”
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Johnson finally ready to ‘cherish the moment’
When Johnson declared for the NBA Draft, he left the door open to return to K-State, should things not work out. He admits now that it was strictly a backup plan tied to his medical clearance.
“I just had it open because I wasn’t sure if I was going to get cleared in time,” Johnson said of the May 31 deadline to withdraw from the draft. “When we went to the NBA panel, we told the NBA people that I had to make a decision before the 31st.
“My goal was always if I got cleared I was going to stay in the draft, and once I got clear it was easy for me to make the decision.”
Despite his busy schedule leading up to the draft, Johnson is finally allowing himself some time to reflect on everything he has been through.
“Every night, at least a night before I come to work out (for an NBA team), I just take like a 30-minute break to myself, just listen to music and cherish the moment,” he said. “I call my homeboys.
“When I call my closest friends, they inspire me to keep going and just motivate me, and I’ll just sit back and reflect and thank God for the opportunity.”
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State basketball forward Keyontae Johnson focused on NBA Draft
