KELDON Johnson

Last season, 2025-26, Johnson did not miss a game. He played all 82 for San Antonio and averaged 23.3 minutes. His line was 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.1 blocks, with just 0.9 turnovers per game. The shooting was the headline. He hit 51.9 percent from the field, 36.3 percent from three and 79.4 percent from the line, which added up to a 61.3 true shooting percentage. His usage rate sat at 20.1 percent, and the Spurs were a plus-3.9 per game with him on the floor. For a player in a bench role, that combination of volume, efficiency and low turnovers is the case for keeping him in the rotation this year.

Johnson has appeared in five of the six games on the Spurs' schedule so far. He opened October 8 against Atlanta with 3 points and 7 rebounds in 18.7 minutes, a plus-16.0 in a loss. He went for 6 points in 16.4 minutes against Phoenix on October 10. Two days later against Utah he put up 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in 24.0 minutes, his busiest night of the young season. He sat out the October 14 game against Phoenix, a Spurs win, while on the Day-To-Day rest tag. He came back October 16 against Sacramento with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 20.5 minutes in a win. Then came the 10-point outing against Oklahoma City on October 20.

The only blemish on Johnson's log this season is a rest entry. He was listed Day-To-Day on October 14 with Rest listed as the reason, categorized as Other. He stayed Day-To-Day on October 16 before being cleared the same day and playing that night against Sacramento. That is the whole story. There is no injury listed, no recurrence, and he has been off the report since. He has played both games since being cleared. Given that he logged 82 games last season, a scheduled rest night early in the year is not a red flag. It is worth tracking only if more rest entries pile up on back-to-backs.

Johnson's minutes this season have ranged from 16.4 to 24.0 in the games he played. The 24.0 against Utah was the high. The 19.6 against Oklahoma City and the 20.5 against Sacramento are close to his 23.3 average from last season. His scoring has tracked his minutes: the two 15-point games came in his two longest stints. His plus-minus has swung widely, from plus-16.0 against Atlanta to minus-12.0 against Oklahoma City. His rebounding has been steady, with 7 against Atlanta and at least 3 in every game he played. The 4 assists against Utah stand out against a last-season average of 1.4 per game.

Johnson's last five games of 2025-26 came in a June series against New York. His minutes were modest, between 15.7 and 18.0 per game. He scored 3 points on June 5 in a loss, 7 points in a win on June 8, 2 points in a loss on June 10 and 7 points in the June 13 loss that ended the series. His plus-minus was plus-14.0 in the June 8 win and plus-17.0 in the June 13 loss. The scoring load was light, but the Spurs' margins were often better with him on the floor. That series is the backdrop for his bench role heading into this season.