San Antonio Spurs’ Veterans Welcome Keldon Johnson to Their Ranks

As weird as it is to think about, it’s true. Keldon Johnson is the elder statesman in the San Antonio Spurs locker room. Often cited as the most youthful, energetic, and at times, immature player on the roster, Johnson is entering his sixth season in the Silver and Black, the most among any players on the team.

On top of that, he has the fourth-most NBA experience on the young team, behind only Chris Paul, Harrison Barnes, and Zach Collins. At one point in his career, Johnson was considered the future face of the franchise, but he has since taken a back-seat role, often coming off the bench. Johnson had a down year last season, averaging 15.7 points per game, which was his lowest mark since the 2020-21 season. He shot 34.6 percent from three, which is a far cry from his career-high 39.8 percent, which seems to be long behind him.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom for Johnson. He avoided being traded this summer despite being included in his fair share of mock trades and appears to be in the best shape of his NBA career. Slimmed down, faster, and more powerful, fans can still be optimistic about Johnson.

As he becomes a true NBA veteran, his vocal leadership style has stood out, especially to Paul, who was brought in this summer to be a veteran leader for Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle. Paul praised Johnson for stepping up, especially off the court.

“I know this Keldon,” said Paul. “KJ came in, he’s been playing well, showing leadership, vocal. But more so, backing it up with his play.” Related: Eye-Popping Victor Wembanyama Stat Spells Doom for the NBA If Johnson can remain a fan-favorite with a goofball personality but turn it up and act like an anchor when the team needs him down the stretch, he could once again establish himself as a valuable player in San Antonio.