No one on the San Antonio Spurs wanted to win the NBA Finals more than Keldon Johnson. Not Victor Wembanyama, not De’Aaron Fox, and not Mitch Johnson. For Keldon, proving that he could contribute on the best team in the NBA was personal.
Johnson has been with the Spurs since 2019. He was the first draft pick the Spurs made when they officially closed their contention window after the Kawhi Leonard trade, and the team remained committed to them, even as they hung around the league’s cellar.
After missing the postseason in his first six seasons, he became the longest-tenured player in franchise history to not make the playoffs. This season, he adjusted to a smaller role, played in all 82 games, and won Sixth Man of the Year.
Then, in his long-awaited Finals appearance, he totally disappeared.
Fans should have seen it coming.
Why Keldon Johnson Was Destined for Finals Failure
Johnson hasn’t exactly been reliable during his career. In 2022, he broke out, shooting 38.9 percent from 3-point range. He followed that up with a career-high 22 points per game in ’23, but his shooting stalled. The following year, he succumbed to turnovers and would eventually be relegated to the bench.
Between the demotion and trade rumors, things weren’t looking good for his future in San Antonio.
Then, this season, something clicked. His outside shooting stabilized, his rebounding improved, and he looked like the do-all forward the Spurs were promised back when he first broke out. Heading into the postseason, he was supposed to hold down the bench unit alongside Dylan Harper, Luke Kornet, and Harrison Barnes.
Instead, he totally disappeared in the Finals.
This was an unwelcome development that didn’t exactly spur San Antonio forward against the New York Knicks, but it shouldn’t have been totally unexpected, either.
In the regular season, Johnson averaged a solid 13.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and was a pretty efficient scorer. However, his averages in the two regular-season games and one NBA Cup game against New York were much worse.
| Span | PPG | RPG | TOV | FG% | 3PT% |
| Regular Season | 13.2 | 5.4 | 0.9 | 51.9% | 36.3% |
| Regular Season vs. NYK | 8.3 | 5.0 | 0.7 | 36.8% | 16.6% |
It’s no wonder, then, that his five Finals games were lackluster.
Think about where Johnson excels. He can put his head down, push defenders out of the way, and get to the rim. Smaller defenders struggle against him. OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Mitchell Robinson do not.
Johnson’s play is tailor-made to defeat smaller wing defenders, which is why he found success against teams like Miami (Norman Powell), Minnesota (Donte DiVincenzo), and Sacramento (Zach LaVine). He was even solid against the slender Aaron Wiggins and shorter Alex Carouso when the Spurs played Oklahoma City.
Up and down the lineup, the Spurs’ matchup against the Knicks was not favorable. Johnson, the team’s heart and soul, placed more expectations on himself than anyone else (well, maybe not Wemby), but the Knicks’ wing defense was perfectly suited to slow him down.
Give the Spurs Boston, Indiana, Cleveland, or even Detroit next season, and Johnson won’t have the same problems.
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