Keldon Johnson’s season gave the Spurs exactly what they needed from a bench piece and then some.
San Antonio’s starting group did plenty of heavy lifting, but Johnson was the reserve who stood out most over the regular season. His work earned him NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors, a fitting reward for a year built on production and availability.
He played in all 82 games for the Spurs, the first time in his career he reached that mark, and he did it without making a single start. That didn’t stop him from piling up another big scoring season. Johnson cleared 1,000 points in the regular season for the fourth time, and this was the first time he did it without being a primary starter for San Antonio.
The numbers around him were strong, too. Johnson finished with just under 450 rebounds and more than 150 assists, the kind of all-around line that explains why he was recognized as the league’s most valuable bench contributor.
That regular-season impact also helps frame his place on the roster going forward. Even after moving out of the starting five from his earlier years, Johnson still looks like an important part of what the Spurs want to build.
The postseason, though, told a different story. In his first career playoff appearance, Johnson dipped from roughly 20 points per game to just under 16. As the playoffs went on, he became less of a factor for opponents to worry about.
That carried into the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks, where Johnson finished with only seven points across five games, even while logging nearly 15 minutes per contest.
Still, the playoff drop-off does not appear to put his future with San Antonio in danger. He just picked up an individual award, one of only two Spurs to do so, and he was a major reason the team got back into relevance this season while also providing a bright spot in a dark stretch for the franchise.
The Spurs would obviously like more from him if they get back to the postseason next year. But that expectation isn’t unique to Johnson. After falling short, every player on the roster has room to improve.
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