Nets shooting guard Keon Johnson has had a rollercoaster 2024/25 season so far. The 6’5″ Tennessee alum had been hoping to earn a two-way deal with Brooklyn out of training camp, and is now on a standard deal and a part of head coach Jordi Fernandez’s rotation, observes Brian Lewis of The New York Times (subscriber link).
Now, the 22-year-old is hoping to stick there for good. Through 23 contests so far, Johnson is averaging 6.0 points on .355/.315/.750 shooting splits, along with 2.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.5 steals per contest.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Former Knicks starting center Isaiah Hartenstein, who departed for Oklahoma City in free agency this summer, claims he wouldn’t have let All-Star Hawks point guard Trae Young celebrate his NBA Cup victory atop New York’s logo. All-NBA Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson had a succinct retort, per Zach Braziller of The New York Post. “Isaiah isn’t here,” Brunson said.
- Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau has clapped back at the notion that New York has defensive woes, writes Braziller in another piece. “I think we’re top 10 in points allowed, we’re [12th] in points in the paint, we’re fifth in fast-break points allowed, we’re top five in second-chance points allowed, so those are all good markers,” Thibodeau said. “Defensive field goal percentage the last 10 games has been good. I think we’re 13th [overall]. It’s all moving in the right direction. Can it be better? Yes, and that’s what we’re aiming for.” Braziller notes that the team, which brought in All-Defensive Team forward Mikal Bridges and All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns in separate offseason trades, currently ranks 16th in defensive rating, a dip from its ninth-place slot in 2023/24.
- Fourth-year All-Star Raptors forward Scottie Barnes was able to go through a light workout on Sunday with Toronto assistant coaches, reports Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). Barnes hurt his right ankle in a 113-108 loss to the Knicks on Monday, and it is anticipated that he will be shelved for multiple weeks. The 7-19 Raptors’ best two-way player, Barnes is averaging 20.6 points, 8.4 boards, 7.4 dimes, 1.3 steals and 0.7 rejections in his 14 healthy games.
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