Keshad Johnson looks like another undrafted find for the Miami Heat. Johnson spoke with Ethan Skolnick, Brady Hawk and Alex Toledo about his workout with the team, how he sees his role and more.
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https://redcircle.com/privacy When you need meal time inspiration, it's worth shopping king supers, where you'll find over 30,000 mouth-watering choices that excite your inner foodie. And no matter what tasty choice you make, you'll enjoy our everyday low prices, plus extra ways to save, like digital coupons worth over $600 each week. You can also save up to $1 off per gallon at the pump with fuel points. More savings and more inspiring flavors make shopping king supers worth it every time. King supers, fresh for everyone, fuel restrictions apply. Welcome to the latest episode of Five on the Floor and the Five Reason Sports. Every thanks for joining us on your favorite podcast app on Android. Recommend Spotify on the Five Reason's YouTube channel on Apple Apple Podcasts. Also check out Off the Floor. That's our Discord server, $2.99 per month. 10 different channels communicate with heat fans, make suggestions for episodes with us. We do Q&As, all kinds of stuff. Get off a Twitter. 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An aggressive insurance, but the place to go is insurance by Lynette.com. And now, today's episode. [MUSIC] Welcome to Five on the Floor, a daily insider show on the Miami Heat and the NBA featuring Ethan Skolnick, Greg Soulvander and Alex Toledo, plus others from the Five Reason Sports Network. Alright, welcome back to Five on the Floor. Here's today's floor plan on Ethan Skolnick. You can follow me, Ethan Jay Skolnick, and in Five Reason Sports, I got Alex Toledo. You can follow the Tropical Blanket, and I got Brady Hawk. You can follow him at Brady Hawk 305. So a lot of people are excited about this guy in recent addition to the Miami Heat who's been showing out in summerly. We're going to talk about the nickname, which is appropriate to that as we go forward here. But first I want to make sure I'm doing this correctly because I do always do this wrong. It is Keisha Johnson. Is that correct? Correct, correct. We're ending the podcast here because that's the first time I've actually done that right. But we're going to make you do something, okay? Your friend that you went to college with, who you're now playing within the summer league, who was the second round pick of the Miami Heat. Could you pronounce his name for us? Pella Larson. All right, that's what Michael told us, right? Isn't that correct? All right, and then the first round pick. Last name where? We need a first name pronunciation. Kaleel Ware. Oh my God, okay. You can be the broadcaster, you're going to replace Eric Reid. All right, so we got Johnson here, and before we go forward kind of on his path to the heat and what his role may be going forward. I want to ask you about the nickname because I know it's part of your social media handles. Did you give yourself the nickname Showtime or did somebody else give it to you? No, I got the nickname from a couple of my friends in high school. You know, we had a little friend group. Everybody was giving nicknames. And then they just caught me show time, you know, just based off my god giving talent and my outgoing personality and everything. And it's stuck. It's stuck. It had a good ring to it, so I kept it. Well, we've noticed that the heat social media has been using you a lot lately. That's usually a sign that somebody's going to play a role in the team. They seem to know. But they also have used you in sort of you speaking to teammates being very public. Not public, but I mean, just being very vocal in terms of your communication with teammates on the floor and which obviously is, you know, plays into doing the right things on offense and defense. Have you always been like that on all the teams you played for? Yeah, I always been like that in life, you know, just trying to be a server to others, you know, in any which way I could on the court. That's just my habitat, you know, and I always want to see my teammates win. So whatever I could do to help them win and be successful, you know, whether it's mentally or physically out there in the game, I'm going to try to help them and give my best. I want to go back to the draft. I can tell you that our group, and especially Greg Silbander who's not here right now, had like zeroed in on you as a guy that the heat we're going to take most likely in the second round. Did you anticipate that you were going to be taken at some point in the draft? And did you anticipate that it might be the heat that you ended up with? I for sure did, for sure did, for sure anticipated that I was going to be drafted, you know, there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to be drafted. I did 16 workouts, one team out of 16 teams going to have to like me, but it's just added added to my story, you know, added to add a fuel to the fire and everything. Being able to choose with the two way contract Miami, he was just the most perfect option, the best option for me and everything like that. So of course I want to be drafted and everything, but I'm a big believer in Christ and I believe everything happened for a reason. So I just want to motivate people, you know, aside from the way that politics work and everything and then just earn my spot, earn that spot on the team. So a lot of us here, like we specifically mentioned you and your teammate at Arizona, as far as being like guys who, you know, the Heat would target. And we talked about that on podcast before, you know, the second round of the draft and now both of you guys are here. What is it like? And I'm sure you've been asked this question already before, but what is it like to be able to now be here with him after spending, you know, the last season together at Arizona and just how has it been so far? And we just added on to our journey together, you know, being at Arizona, you can see we both feed off each other, you know, we both, we both provide that spark, you know, he take charges and I'm getting stopped, you know, whatever the case may be. We showed that throughout the whole year, the whole last year when we played and everything that we're not backing down to nobody, you know, we both fighters. And you can just see that, you can just see that for me to just have that comfortability, knowing that somebody, you're going to run through a wall for me. I'm more than willing to run through the wall back for him, you know, and to just keep adding on to our legacy, just being teammates in our, in our brotherhood is everything I could ask for. If it's anybody that was to take that, that pick, I see the work that Pella put in, men him practice the work that we each other every day at Arizona. So that'd be the only person I want to take that spot. You mentioned the 16 teams you worked out with and obviously one of them was Miami. I'm just wondering how did you felt like that workout went after the fact and did you kind of have an idea like you said about about Miami was kind of one of the options on the two way contract but did you feel like you put on a show at that specific workout and you feel like they kind of had a liking to you. I feel like they had a liking to me like, humbly speaking, I just feel like the energy that I bring, like I feel like Pat Riley and airsposer picked up on the energy that I brought, you know, the effort I played with and everything. We had an overall, a good group in that group. We even had Isaiah Stevens in there, you know, me and Isaiah Stevens was on the same team a lot throughout the workout. And like just the energy that me and him, both brown, just like playing the game of basketball, you know, you can see the chip on both our shoulders, you know, and everything. So I feel like Pat Riley and airsposer, they're like geniuses when it comes to just like who they want in and like the guys that they're picking, like, I'm sure they went back and really took their time and like, okay, I like those guys. I want to see more of those guys so I feel like I did a good job of doing that, regardless of me scoring the ball, putting the ball in the basket like that, I feel like I show my other intantibles. I want to go a little further on that with you because I think fans like to be taken behind the curtain, like what these workouts are like. So just describe it because you mentioned Pat, you mentioned Spo, I'm guessing maybe Adam Simon was there, I don't know about Andy Ellisburg others, but the heat brain trust they tend to all participate in this and they come to a decision together. So just take take us through it from kind of beginning to end. Was that was that the facility, like how does it start what what kind of drills do they put you through and how do you try to show up because as a guy who seems like we'll get to this more as a podcast goes on, who can kind of plug a lot of holes for a team and do a lot of different things to help you win. How do you make that pop in a workout like that. There's no there's no real right answer to to answer that question on how do you make that pop you just got to do whatever it takes that specific moment so the workout pretty much went like, you know, stretch, you do like little shooting shooting drill that's charted and everything like that. Then you compete, you compete, you play one on one to the torn tools, we had it was five group five people in that group so it was kind of like our number so we only got to turn to usually go, you get to throw three but like was playing torn tools and everything. And just throughout the whole workout, you know, it's very tiring you got you got to be on web at the rep, but you got to stick you got to stick to it. And for me, I just try to think to you know I know it's a job and if you, you know, you don't got a time you don't got no time to be tired or fatigued or anything like that you got to stick with it, you got to play, you know you got a hoop you got a show or however much you can, you know. And me got to try to hit shots and everything but even if the shots not foreign, I know air exposure and parelli day, the years they know they know basketball they know somebody just not shooting shooting good in the day. They know how they're not just going to judge just after that one day I don't feel like, but I'm sure they just people off the internal feeling that they get from them you know and I feel like myself and Isaiah Stevens like just both of us provided that you know, along with the other guy that was in a workout too. So Kishad I've noticed that on some of your post game interviews you've mentioned a couple of times that you don't try to go outside of the box too much. And I know sometimes like players look down on that like you know the idea of trying to get you know people throwing them into a box and like limiting what they can do. So I found it really interesting that that was your perspective on it in the sense that like you know you mentioned that you just want to help the team win and do whatever is necessary. When you look at that, you know from that lens, what are the things you bring most because we've already seen like a lot of it right we've seen the cutting we've seen the transition attack that you provide of course like the the lob threats. And then the fact that you, you know you became a better you had your best shooting season at Arizona, you know while also upping the volume. So I think a lot of people are very encouraged by the skills that you bring the way that you can kind of just fit alongside many lineups. You know on the heat and theory and just I kind of wanted to get, you know, your perspective on how you feel, you know as far as what you bring to the table immediately for the heat. I ultimately just bring effort like ultimately effort aside from skills like I don't just like my impact to a team is not my skill set I feel like my impact to the team is my heart the heart that I bring the energy. All the miscellaneous things you know just the things that don't show up in a score board or just show up on just like okay he's that type of skill set person like you know I feel like my skill set is rare you know but I feel like I perfected me being an energy by me getting rebound defensive stops and things things of that nature so in terms of this skill set I like to say that's like the that's the flashy side I'm not I'm not no flashy guy I just want to I'm a hard hard nose grinder you know gritty person that just like to get to the grind so I feel like that's what I bring to the table to the team. If you need meal time inspiration it's worth shopping king supers where you'll find over 30,000 mouthwatering choices that excite your inner foodie and no matter what tasty choice you make you'll enjoy our everyday low prices plus extra ways to save like digital coupons worth over $600 each week. You can also save up to $1 off per gallon at the pump with fuel points more savings and more inspiring flavors make shopping king supers worth it every time king supers fresh for everyone fuel restrictions apply. As you talk about that grind there was a there was a play in yesterday's summer league game it was like late in the third quarter where you basically switch on to like four different guys in the whole possessions up like a shot clock violation. I'm just kind of wondering like what are you looking at her reading defensively and like what do you feel like you like how would you find your description as a defender like are you kind of a. They've had different guys over the years but like a one through five like obviously playing next to band like how do you kind of see yourself at this next level defensively because you continue to show in the summer league. So, humbly speaking I see myself anywhere on the defensive end you know just trying to get the job done whether it's garden one garden or five you know I see myself anywhere whatever the coach try to need done I'm going to try my best to get it done you know and I feel like I got the heart to do it for like it's no real technique on how to be a good defender you know you just got to get the job done you know whatever it tastes whether it's sliding your feet or whether it's it's turning your hips and getting to a sprint you know that you guys are doing it do the taste and get the job. So a lot of times the scouting reports come out on players and the player doesn't have a chance to really respond to them until they can do it on the court right like until they get into a certain situation and say I can be more than you thought I was or I have a certain skill that you I just want to read you something this was actually published in leaf sports illustrated so I want to give them the correct credit and they actually is a pretty in depth scouting report that they did on you. It might have been late last season with Arizona or prior to the draft I just want to get your thoughts on it as I go forward and some of the comps that were made in here so it's a long scouting report but then it gets to a conclusion. Excuse me so I'll just start there. The strength for archetype popular popularized by Adam Spinella who's actually someone we've had on the podcast, who does a lot of draft evaluation. Consistent players like PJ Tucker Robert Covington Grant Williams Jay Crowder and Dorian Finney Smith. By the way two of those have played for the heat and played big roles for the heat and feels like they've been in on the other three over the years. These players are stronger defensive first fours with size that are excellent on ball defenders smart off ball defenders have some level of catch and shoot impact in the NBA and have high role acceptance. While not the flashiest archetype that six foot seven two fifteen developing catch and shoot three strong on ball defense and helpful off ball defense Johnson has a high likelihood of meeting the same archetype that is seen fairly consistently on championship level teams. Do you feel that would be a fair description of kind of what you're bringing to the table here. I would say that's very much fair you know each one of those guys as you can see on the film they affect winning in some type of way you know and I feel like I do affect winning in those situations. But I just want to be the best key shot version of key shot Johnson you know I feel like I'm very very athletic you know along the lines you know I feel like my athleticism is my God give a talent. You know I feel like that kind of goal go a little under the radar or how how much work I put into just just being athletic being able to jump and fly and everything like that and make like spectacular plays in a sense but over the course of years I those guys made wonderful wonderful impacts to winning programs you know able to take advantage of all the opportunities so I feel like that's a good that's a good mode you know just just knowing knowing yourself knowing who you are I feel like each one of those guys know they roll and of course coming to the NBA I will have to know my role so I don't see that as a bad comparison at all. I mean you mentioned the athleticism I mean you did what were you tied for the highest vert basically was it 42 inches I believe. I saw I does that surprise people do you think because again you do kind of portray yourself as like a you know plug in the gaps type of player and then like you're soaring above the rim. I have got a couple of times like I know you had down but I know you it was like that so I seen the person I heard that a couple times and everything like that but I just want to just keep being able to put on the show you know basketball it's a game at the end of the day it's a game and it got to be some type of fun to some type of little little little rhizodiazepines or anything like that so I just try to try to take advantage of all my opportunities every time I get a chance and everything. Yeah just try to show my god give a talent. I'm going to let these guys jump in here to say I just got one more here and because you mentioned again Miami being the perfect situation and we've seen over the years what they've done with undrafted guys with the right undrafted guys. I mean you go all the way back this has been a long I mean we just saw Anthony Carter son get drafted in the top 10 I mean literally he was Anthony Carter was one of the heats undrafted guys I mean this goes back so far. But in recent years I mean whether it's Duncan Robinson you know becoming an elite shooter in the NBA or Max Strus kind of following Duncan and then getting paid in Cleveland gave Vincent. Caleb Martin who we just you know saw his situation play out and then and then obviously Heywood Highsmith who they've resigned I mean there's a long line of these guys. When you were discussing this with your agent is this one of these things it's like okay get me there because it's a good fit but also they know what they're doing with with guys like me who bring particular skill sets. Absolutely, absolutely. You pretty much said it yourself me and my agent like my agent he wouldn't be my agent if you didn't know me so I feel like he knew me he's familiar with just the heat and how they make the right decisions out of the for the right reasons and everything like that so I'm a he believe I'm a he culture God I believe I'm a he coach coach God but just to really get specific with it like he see me as more than just the basketball player to like not not just him myself but I also see myself in more than just a basketball player just trying to have an impact into any any culture that I have community you know I mean Dennis has me done a great job around a community of Miami so I'm just trying to try to try to just have an impact you know if I could mimic that or learn from him just by giving back you know paying paying it forward aside for basketball and to do that in a in a community like Miami that would be all I hope for you know I feel like that's my that's my calling to just do things outside of basketball as well as be effective on the court within the organization. So another thing I wanted to ask you right like we've already been talking about your leaping ability and you know that's going to be really exciting for heat fans because it's something that's kind of been missing from the team since I don't know maybe like Derek Jones Jr like five seasons ago just having somebody who can jump out of the building like that and really get the crowd going also the heat really like very much need to help in transition so I think people are going to appreciate what you bring there but is other than like the leaping ability and the way your athleticism shows up there something else I've been really intrigued with when watching you play you know we talk about filling in the gaps but one of the gaps that like a lot of people simply can't do that you can with your athleticism it very much feels like a functional thing whereas like you're getting these deflections you know like the other day I think you deflected one like off the inbounder and you were guarding the inbounder and it was very much like I've seen you deflect that I've seen them I mean you deflect like normal passes basic passes that you know anybody thinks you know can go through it's not a bad pass like you get your hands on a lot right and I think in a lot of times it's unorthodox because people don't really see it coming like you have the combination of length athleticism and strength and I think that kind of throws people off and it very much feels like kind of like a secret weapon here. How much have the heat talked to you about that part like the defensive playmaking part of your athleticism and you know how much are you looking to bring as far as that part of your game. You know the heat says a lot about it but it's nothing that I have already been told but being here with the heat organization around Coach Dan and other guys on the staff like I know like me coming to the NBA I gotta be good at something you know I'm not going to come in and be the go-to guy on the offensive end and I know that I know that of course but I got to try to find some way to be a winner some way to be a winner so me I got to already perfect what I'm already good at you know I feel like I'm already good at just making players like that happen getting a lot of deflection and things of that nation so just try to perfect try to perfect what I'm good at being being the best person I can be anywhere I need to. All right I'm going to let Brady close this up I know you got to get somewhere key shot appreciated. Oh my god look at that. We got a Jay Rich signing at the back. That's another guy that had an impact on winning you know. He do whatever it takes you know so just being around this heat coaster you know there's a lot of guys that's been overlooked but they prove that they hear and they got that grid you know Josh coming around. I'm going to learn from him as my time coming around I'm going to learn from all these guys. I'll close here are there any other guys. Are there any other guys on the team now. Everybody everybody this is a real brotherhood around here so everybody is there's no egos going around we are down the earth. I can go to any one of these guys that got a major contract and they're all accessible so I'm going to try to use all my resources and get learned as much knowledge from as possible. All right well we appreciate it actually we should drag Josh on here to talk about the Argentina Columbia match because I know his heads probably in soccer right now or fee for a DJ or something but obviously we've enjoyed covering him over the years and we will definitely enjoy covering you all just close with this one have you have you got to talk to BAM at any point he seems a little busy these days but has he communicated with you or any of the other summer league guys. Nah I haven't got the chance to talk to BAM but I heard a lot of good things about BAM along with the other guys that's part of this organization so like I said they all seem down to earth and you know I'm like I'm like a sponge so I'm going to try to soak it all in. All right well don't let the other guy charge you 20 bucks for coffee that's all we're going to say all right. Josh Johnson we appreciate it I know people are really excited to see more from you and we'll obviously catch up with you when you get back to Miami or actually the Bahamas before Miami before the season starts thanks a lot for doing this. I appreciate that. How dangerous is it to unwrap a burger at 40 miles per hour? More so than you think. In a little over two seconds your car can travel slightly more than 117 feet which is the same length as 20 bicycles. Anything that distracts you while driving is dangerous that's why driving while texting can be deadly too so put it down it can wait. Don't drive distracted shift into safe. A message from the Colorado Department of Transportation. When you need meal time inspiration it's worth shopping king supers where you'll find over 30,000 mouthwatering choices that excite your inner foodie and no matter what tasty choice you make you'll enjoy our everyday low prices plus extra ways to save like digital coupons worth over $600 each week. 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