Former Florida Wing Keyontae Johnson to Oklahoma City in NBA Draft

Reuniting with a former Gators teammate in Thunder guard Tre Mann, former Florida-turned-Kansas State forward Keyontae Johnson was selected by Oklahoma City with the No. 50 overall selection in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday.

One who observed Johnson's debut season with the Wildcats in 2022-23 without prior context likely wasn't surprised to hear his name called by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, but the odds of Johnson walking across the draft stage were considered slim to none just a year ago.

Then, Johnson was in the transfer portal, looking for a school that would clear him to play after being removed from the game for almost two seasons.

Experiencing a medical emergency, Johnson collapsed on the court and fell unresponsive near the beginning of Florida's matchup with Florida State on Dec. 12, 2020, early in his junior season with the Gators. Johnson spent over a week in Tallahassee Memorial Hospital and the University of Florida's Shands Hospital before his release on Dec. 22.

Johnson's condition was never officially disclosed. All that became clear was that he would not play for UF again, leading Johnson to take on a player-coach role for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns. He finished his career with the Gators having averaged 11 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game, taking home First-Team All-SEC (coaches) honors in 2020.

Kansas State was one of the few schools comfortable enough to allow Johnson to take the court again. He committed to the Wildcats over Memphis, Nebraska and Western Kentucky on Aug. 20, 2022.

And the rest was history.

Johnson started 36 games at an average of 34.2 minutes per game in 2022-23, both marks being career highs.

His 17.4 points and 2.1 assists per game were the highest averages of his college career in those categories, leading to First-Team placement on the coaches' and Associated Press' 2023 All-Big 12 teams. Johnson was also named a Third-Team All-American by the AP.

Find Inside the Thunder's reaction to Oklahoma City's selection of Johnson below.

For the Thunder, Johnson will provide an off-the-bench energizer that will give everything he has. When getting open looks with plenty of time, he can provide shooting and he will use his frame on both sides of the ball to excel. Being able to score with the ball when needed combined with his defense, Johnson has the potential to thrive in the Thunder's system.

Being near the end of the draft, Johnson will likely receive a two-way contract, which the Thunder get three of this season. As the Thunder have progressed through their rebuild, they've given each and every prospect a chance to prove their value and assume a bigger role. The most recent example of this is Isaiah Joe, and before that was Aaron Wiggins.

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