Tyler Johnson’s offseason already off to a busy start

Heat guard has thumb surgery, in process of getting new teeth.

MIAMI — Tyler Johnson has a lot going on this offseason.

It started with surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb on April 30, a procedure that’s expected to keep him in a cast for six weeks. In addition, Johnson visited the dentist recently to begin the process of replacing his missing teeth.

Johnson also will see his salary jump from $5.9 million to $19.2 million next season as part of the deal he signed with the Heat in the summer of 2016, when they matched the Brooklyn Nets’ four-year, $50 million offer sheet.

But on Tuesday, Johnson was one of two current Heat players — along with Rodney McGruder — at the end-of-year celebration for the Heat Academy students. Johnson spoke to a few reporters at the event at American Airlines Arena. He answered questions on his rehab process, his teeth and his impending pay raise:

Q: How’s your surgically repaired left thumb healing?

Tyler: “It’s going really good. I got a couple more weeks and I’ll be out of the cast completely and just rehabbing.”

Q: Did you know you would need surgery on the thumb as soon as you injured it during Game 3 of the first-round series against the Sixers? You played the final two games with the injury.

Tyler: “I had found out after I did it, that night after the game. They had told me I was probably going to get it operated on. It was a matter of pain tolerance. If you can play with it, awesome and that’s a plus. If not, it’s understandable and we can operate on it. But it really wasn’t super-painful. It was just going to be something that was going to restrict some movement in my thumb and obviously it was going to have some sort of effect on basketball. I was able to play with it. We had a special tape job, so it didn’t move too much.”

Q: Is it tough to watch the playoffs after being eliminated in the first round?

Tyler: “Yes and no. Obviously as a competitor, you want to be out there . ... But at the same time, (I’m) looking at it from a different perspective. Actually making the playoffs this year and having a role on a playoff team kind of makes me and some of the other guys who haven’t really been in the playoffs ... look at the playoff atmosphere a little bit different when you’re watching other teams play.”

Q: You posted a video of yourself visiting the dentist after the season. Is the gaptooth smile going to be a thing of the past soon?

Tyler: “I had to get implants put in. This one (missing lower tooth) is already fake, so they gave me a tooth down here as a temporary. And then up here (missing upper tooth), they couldn’t do because (the tooth next to that one) is also fake. So, they couldn’t put (two fake teeth) together. So, in about two months, I’ll have a surprise for y’all.”

Q: So you’re going to have a full set of teeth next season?

Tyler: “By next year for sure. You’ll be amazed.”

Q: When you get back on the court, what will be the focus of your offseason work?

Tyler: “Continuing to develop that mental stability . ... The physical part, I have a lot of tools that I haven’t even really tapped into yet because I haven’t known how to.”

Q: Does the fact that your salary jumps from $5.9 million to $19.2 million this upcoming season put added pressure on you?

Tyler: “It’s just a nicer paycheck when I go home. It’s no bother to me, though . ... It’s not any added pressure to me. Maybe it is to everybody else who thinks I should be this or that.”