Tyler Johnson prepares for sophomore year

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel interviewed Tyler Johnson last Wednesday, marking the first time the Heat guard spoke about his broken jaw injury during the 2015 NBA Summer League.

"I had two plates put in," he told Winderman. "The fracture happened at two parts of my jaw. So I fractured it on one end and then it came out the other end. That's where my tooth fell out. So two plates were put in."

That doesn't sound too appealing, does it?

Although the injury prevented Johnson from some on-court development during the summer, he is still preparing for his second year with the Heat. In fact, the scrappy guard had to attend the NBA's Rookie Transition Program with Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson because he did not sign with Miami until January. The program covers a broad swath of issues for young people entering the NBA -- management of stress, relationships and finances, respect and inclusion. (Heat fans may recall that then-rookies Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley both received fines for their role in an incident during the 2008 rookie program.)

Johnson told Winderman that he had to learn about those issues on the fly after joining the Heat mid-season. Still, he said that he found the program beneficial because he could apply the topics to his past experience.

The sophomore guard has been able to run and use an exercise bike, but still has not played full-contact on the court. He will have his last doctor's appointment at the end of the month, after which he can plan a timetable for on-court activities and prepare for training camp.