The Spurs Need More From Keldon Johnson Right Now

The Spurs find themselves 0-2 in the Finals, and the way they got there isn’t surprising. The Knicks have been a horrific matchup for a while in no small part because San Antonio lacks size at the forward spots, an issue that has been apparent for a while but has only recently become troublesome. And Johnson was expected to be part of the solution.

Keldon won 6MoY because he impacted the offense significantly and did the little things. He’s been the big forward the Spurs have been able to count on, but his struggles in the playoffs have been real and have limited his impact against the Knicks. As of this writing, FanDuel had the odds of Johnson having at least 8.5 combined points and rebounds in Game 3 at -102 and the odds of him not getting there at -130, underscoring how little is now expected of a player who averaged 13.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in the regular season.

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It’s not Keldon’s fault that the team needs him so badly

The Spurs came into the season knowing that the big forward spot was a weakness. Jeremy Sochan, once considered the long-term answer at the position, had lost Mitch Johnson’s trust late last season and as his shot never improved, he faded out of the rotation before being waived at the deadline. Harrison Barnes was doing well as a placeholder in the starting lineup, mostly by not making mistakes and hitting shots, but his jumper abandoned him and opponents were playing off him to help on Wembanyama. The patchwork solution was to start Julian Champagnie, a natural small forward, at the power forward spot. It worked, as Champagnie offered strong rebounding, more switchability, and more dangerous shooting, helping San Antonio find its best shape.

What happened in the starting lineup had some effects on Johnson’s play, but he was entrenched as the sixth man and his duties didn’t really change. What he brought to the table in terms of size and physicality, however, became more important simply because the Spurs got smaller. Against a lot of teams, it wasn’t as big of an issue, and Mitch Johnson filled out the minutes at power forward with Barnes, Keldon, and even…

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Publish date : 2026-06-08 02:45:00

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