Former Vol Keon Johnson recently returned to Knoxville for some offseason work as he looks to build on an absolute breakout year this past season in Brooklyn.
Tennessee posted pictures and videos of him throughout the weekend alongside former teammate Jaden Springer, who was also a first-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
VFL at work@iamkeonjohnson pic.twitter.com/HLcZSdQTeF
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) June 23, 2025
Jaden + Keon back home 🧡#NBAVols pic.twitter.com/JJnKwDZfqN
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) June 21, 2025
More From RTI: Four-Star Wing Gage Mayfield Beginning Official Visit With Tennessee Basketball Monday
Johnson, a product of The Webb School in Bell Buckle, TN, spent one season at Tennessee during the shortened 2020 campaign. In 27 games with the Vols, Johnson averaged 11.3 points, 2.5 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game with 44.9% shooting and 27.1% three-point shooting. The SEC All-Freshman Team selection was one and done in Knoxville and subsequently entered the 2021 NBA Draft.
Johnson was drafted with the 21st overall pick by the Knicks but was traded to the Clippers on draft night. He only played in 15 games for Los Angeles before being traded to Portland in his rookie season.
Johnson ended up playing in just 66 games for the Trail Blazers over two seasons before being traded to the Suns in the massive Damian Lillard-to-Milwaukee trade that sent shockwaves across the association in September 2023. The Suns ended up waiving him that October before the regular season roster cut deadline.
In November ’23, Johnson signed a two-way contract with the Brooklyn Nets. He played just five games with Brooklyn on a two-way contract during the 2023-2024 season but later signed a multi-year deal after a strong summer league showing.
Johnson then found his first true breakout season in 2024-2025. He played in 79 games for the Nets with 56 starts, both career highs, and averaged 10.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists during the season. He shot 38.9% from the floor and 31.4% from three-point range. All of those stats, barring the three-point percentage, were career highs from his short time in the league so far. Johnson also excelled on the defensive end of the court.
Keon Johnson is one of eight players that Rick Barnes has coached to the NBA during his time in Knoxville. Fellow Tennessee native and one-year Vol Chaz Lanier is looking to become the ninth this week during the 2025 NBA Draft in Brooklyn. Lanier was a monster scorer for the Vols this past season and currently projects as a high second-round draft pick on Thursday.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more details on Lanier’s path to the NBA this week.
One Response
As I recall, Dalton K. had better stats, but labored on an LA team of two against
the world (LeBron and Luka) …and he got way too few touches. Congrats to Keon
and Jaden and maybe Dalton will get the break he deserves this year.