The San Antonio Spurs are entering a new era - and while Gregg Popovich’s fingerprints are still all over the organization, it’s Mitch Johnson who’s steering the ship now.
Popovich, now the President of Basketball Operations, remains the face of the franchise in many ways. But on the court, it’s Johnson who’s making the day-to-day calls. And so far, he’s doing it the Spurs way - the same culture-first, long-view approach that turned a small-market team into one of the NBA’s great dynasties.
Ahead of Tuesday’s matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Johnson is already showing shades of his mentor. Victor Wembanyama, who’s been working his way back from a calf injury, has landed back on the injury report. It’s a precaution more than anything - the Spurs have been logging some serious travel miles lately - but it’s also a reminder that this franchise has never been afraid to play the long game, even when the lights are brightest.
Resting a star like Wemby on a nationally televised game might raise eyebrows in some corners of the league office, but if you’ve followed the Spurs for any amount of time, you know this isn’t new territory.
Flash back to 2012. The Spurs were scheduled to face the Miami Heat - peak Heatles, with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh headlining a title favorite squad.
But Popovich, in classic Pop fashion, left Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, and Stephen Jackson back in San Antonio. The starting five that night?
Nando de Colo, Patty Mills, Boris Diaw, Matt Bonner, and Tiago Splitter - a trio of whom had started just 12 games combined all season.
Pop was playing chess. The league, not so much. Then-commissioner David Stern dropped a $250,000 fine on the Spurs, calling the decision “unacceptable” before the game even tipped off.
But here’s the kicker: the Spurs nearly won. Miami squeaked out a 105-100 win, but not before Gary Neal dropped 20 off the bench and the Spurs pushed the Heat to the brink with a skeleton crew.
It was a masterclass in system basketball, and a preview of what was to come. Miami would get the better of San Antonio in the Finals that season, but the Spurs got their revenge in 2014 - and did it in dominant fashion.
That kind of long-range thinking helped extend the primes of Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili, and it’s a big reason why San Antonio remained a contender for so long. Popovich understood that preserving his stars wasn’t just about winning the next game - it was about winning the next championship.
Now, Johnson is applying that same philosophy to Wembanyama. And make no mistake - Wemby has the potential to be every bit as impactful as the Spurs legends before him.
He’s already shown flashes of brilliance that suggest his ceiling might be even higher. But with that kind of promise comes a responsibility to protect the investment - not just for the Spurs, but for the league as a whole.
Yes, Tuesday’s game is on ABC. Yes, fans want to see Wemby on the floor.
But the Spurs have always prioritized the long-term view over short-term optics. And in a league where load management has become a hot-button issue, San Antonio is once again leading by example - even if it means catching some heat in the process.
Adam Silver may not love seeing a marquee name on the injury report, but given the stakes - both for Wembanyama’s future and the league’s broader health - Johnson’s caution is more than justified. It’s strategic.
It’s smart. And it’s vintage Spurs.