Keldon Johnson enters next season in a far different spot than the one he occupied not long ago. The Spurs forward has plenty to answer for after a rough playoff run, and the pressure is now squarely on him as San Antonio reshapes its roster around other options.
Johnson’s postseason showed the kinds of problems teams can exploit. Across the four opponents the Spurs met in their playoff run, the weakest defense still ranked 12th in defensive rating. That didn’t stop disciplined teams from keying in on his habits, especially when he tried to take on multiple defenders in transition or force his way to the rim.
The defensive side of the floor was just as messy. Johnson’s over-aggressive approach led to repeated foul trouble, and when San Antonio’s opponents were in the bonus, that meant easy trips to the line. For Spurs fans who had already started to wonder about his playoff reliability, the run only reinforced the concern.
That matters even more now because Johnson’s future with the team is no longer simple. He will be a free agent after next season, and an extension before then looks unlikely.
The roster moves around him point in the same direction. San Antonio gave Julian Champagnie a 3-year, $45 million deal and signed Tobias Harris to a two-year, $31 million contract.
Neither player is a pure small forward for the Spurs, but Johnson spent time at power forward last season, and that’s where the squeeze starts to show. With that added depth, his role could shrink fast.
The bigger threat may be Carter Bryant. The Spurs are expected to play Bryant at the three next season, and his rise could come at Johnson’s expense. Johnson still brings value as a regular-season workhorse, but the long-term bet appears to be on Bryant taking those minutes.
Bryant’s case is easy to see. Even as a teenager, he was already a much better defender than Johnson, and his shot took a major step forward as last season went on. That combination makes him look like a real 3-and-D forward, the kind of player teams don’t just stumble into.
At 20 years old and 6'8", Bryant has the kind of profile that can change a rotation quickly. If he can stay out of foul trouble, keep knocking down threes, and finish around the basket, Coach Mitch Johnson may end up leaning on him instead of Keldon Johnson.
Even if Bryant doesn’t fully pass him, he could still chip away at Johnson’s minutes. And unless Johnson delivers a major bounce-back season, this could wind up being his final year in San Antonio.
In Other News...
Spurs Missed On A Dream Target For One Frustrating Reason
The Spurs spent part of the offseason chasing a forward they believed could have fit neatly into their frontcourt plans, with Rui Hachimura drawing interest from San Antonio and several other teams before the market settled. Golden State, Minnesota and Brooklyn were also in the mix, a reminder that Hachimura had plenty of options as he weighed his next move.
San Antonio ultimately had to pivot after missing out, and the answer came in the form of veteran forward Tobias Harris, a steadier addition who helps address the same area of need. The Spurs would have liked to land Hachimura and keep building around a younger, more versatile look, but the search for frontcourt help did not end with one swing. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Send Tarris Reed Jr. A Tough Message Right Away
Tarris Reed Jr. already has a clear early-career assignment in San Antonio, and it has little to do with putting up points. The Spurs took Reed alongside Jayden Quaintance in the 2026 NBA Draft, bringing in the former UConn and Michigan big man with the expectation that his value will come from defense, rebounding and a physical presence around the basket.
In Summer League, coach Corliss Williamson made the message plain: Reeds lane is the gritty stuff, not a featured offensive role. For a Spurs roster that already has plenty of scoring to go around, the rookie will need to earn his way by doing the dirty work and showing he can hold up in the details, with a chance to push into the regular rotation if those traits translate once the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Suddenly Face A Lineup Decision That Could Disrupt Their Chemistry
The Spurs are staring at one of those early offseason choices that can quietly shape everything else, and it centers on the starting power forward spot. Tobias Harris brings the kind of veteran rsum that usually makes a coach think twice, while Julian Champagnie has already shown he can fit cleanly alongside the rest of San Antonios core.
Champagnies case is rooted in how well the Spurs looked with him in the first unit, where the group around De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama clicked at a high level. Harris still has value, especially as a scorer who could change the tone of a second unit, but the bigger question for San Antonio is whether it keeps the chemistry it found or makes room for experience at the expense of continuity. [Read more 🡒]