Evaluating the growth of Arizona's Keshad Johnson

As the head coach, Tommy Lloyd has had plenty of success in Tucson leading the Wildcats 112-33 winning 77% of his games and making the NCAA Tournament each season with three trips to the Sweet Sixteen.

During this time, Lloyd has built the Arizona brand and made it one of the most consistent programs in the West Coast. He has been able to not only recruit but develop players and turn them into key pieces on the roster.

Guys like Dalen Terry, Bennedict Mathurin and many others have made it to the NBA in large part due to the development of Lloyd and his staff.

Not only has the program been built up from recruits that have been developed but by Lloyd adding key transfers like Pelle Larsson, Caleb Love, Oumar Ballo and others that have left a lasting impact on the program.\

Arizona’s current roster features two transfers that played a critical role on the Wildcats Sweet Sixteen team. Those two are forward Tobe Awaka and guard Anthony Dell’Orso.

One transfer that hasn’t been mentioned yet is San Diego State transfer forward Keshad Johnson, who played in a National Title game for the Aztecs.

Johnson was able to make an impact with his toughness and gritty defensive play as part of the team that managed to get to a Sweet Sixteen before falling to Clemson.

Now, Johnson has completed his first year in the NBA after going undrafted and playing for Miami where he played in 16 games and found himself in and out of the G League.

In those games, Johnson averaged six minutes per game where he recorded 2.7 PPG, 1.8 RPG while shooting 69% from the field.

Johnson is playing in the summer league for a second season and will be looking to turn heads on the Heat coaching staff as he tries to make the NBA roster.

On Tuesday night, Johnson scored 15 points and grabbed four rebounds, two assists while going 6 of 9 from the field.

 More importantly, Johnson was able to go 2 of 5 from the 3-point line. Why is that important?

Well, he is already a good defensive player and if he can develop a 3-point shot, that could help him last a long time in a league that is always looking for 3-and-D players with size.

Please be sure to let us know if you have watched Keshad Johnson in the summer league this year. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.