During the second round between the Spurs and the Thunder, Keldon Johnson played a decisive role coming off the bench, with his 25 points at 10/16 shooting and 5/9 at 3-points in his team’s big victory. San Antonio’s outside showed up from behind the arc although that’s an area where he’s usually rather timid as he attempts less than three shots from distance on average this season.
Beyond this tremendous contribution against OKC, since the start of the season Keldon Johnson has stood out thanks to the energy he brings off the bench. Proof of this is its very good rebound activity. An area where the winger averages 6.3 catches per evening, his career best and this role of “energizer” is praised by his teammates.
“He always brings energy to the team,” underlines Harrison Barnes. “You can see him on the scoresheet, but even when you don’t, he’s still the heart of our team.”
An observation confirmed by Stephon Castle who explained that his teammate always continued to encourage the team regardless of whether he had a good or bad match. For his part, Victor Wembanyama says this energy is contagious.
Ready to adapt to any situation
Since his arrival in San Antonio during his Draft in 2019, Keldon Johnson has experienced all kinds of roles. If he was, initially, an indisputable starter at the start of the decade, notably with a solid 2022-23 season where he averaged 22 points, his career best, he gradually transformed into a sixth or seventh man. A role that suits him perfectly.
“It’s my job,” simply sums up Keldon Johnson after the victory against OKC. “I pride myself on always doing what my team needs whether it’s being a leader or being the one to bring energy, I can adapt to any role. I will always put my team first even if sometimes it takes a little adjustment, that’s what motivates me every day and now we are playing for a bigger goal. We still have a lot to prove and we haven’t done anything yet to allow ourselves to be arrogant.”
For Christmas, Spurs and Thunder will cross swords for the third time this month. If Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson shone in turn during the first two clashes, the latter affirms that another player could come out of his box during the duel scheduled for December 25: “We have the luxury of having several guys who can catch fire. If that happens to someone then we’ll pass the ball to them.”
| Keldon Johnson | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saison | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | To | Pd | Fte | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2019-20 | on | 17 | 17:42 | 59.6 | 59.1 | 79.5 | 0.6 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 9.1 |
| 2020-21 | on | 69 | 28:31 | 47.9 | 33.1 | 74.0 | 1.3 | 4.6 | 6.0 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 12.8 |
| 2021-22 | on | 75 | 31:54 | 46.6 | 39.8 | 75.6 | 1.1 | 5.0 | 6.1 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 17.0 |
| 2022-23 | on | 63 | 32:45 | 45.2 | 32.9 | 74.9 | 0.9 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 2.9 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 22.0 |
| 2023-24 | on | 69 | 29:32 | 45.4 | 34.6 | 79.2 | 1.4 | 4.1 | 5.5 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 15.7 |
| 2024-25 | on | 77 | 23:52 | 48.2 | 31.8 | 77.3 | 1.5 | 3.4 | 4.8 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 12.7 |
| 2025-26 | on | 29 | 23:12 | 57.8 | 39.0 | 75.3 | 2.1 | 4.2 | 6.3 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 13.0 |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
