Egregious Keldon Johnson decision reveals Spurs hand for rest of season

Was there a call that came down from Buffalo Wild Wings, or was Mitch Johnson listening to the Impractical Jokers cast when he decided only to play Keldon Johnson for seven minutes in the second half of last night's loss? It's hard to know what the reasoning is behind the decision without looking at one very reasonable conclusion: the Spurs are tanking.

I know. Just a few months ago, Johnson was the center of a lot of angst, not just in the fanbase but here at Air Alamo. However, opinions change when new information is received. That's called being a sensible human, and playing KJ fewer than 20 minutes last night is pretty absurd considering how well he's played this calendar year.

Keldon Johnson has played better than expected this season

There was a shift in the six-year forward's demeanor in January. It's almost as if he heard his name in constant trade rumors and decided to do something about it because he's been sensational. Since January 1, he's only averaged 12 points per game, but it's his efficiency that's stood out.

Johnson has been shooting 50.6% FG and 39.8% 3PT since the start of 2025. It's a large enough sample size to be frustrated and encouraged by his play. He should have been providing this level of production from the beginning of the year, but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth (that's always been an odd euphemism).

In the seven games played after the All-Star Break, the former Kentucky standout has increased his output for a team that needs it without Victor Wembanyama in uniform for the rest of the year. He's now putting up 16.6 points per game, taking good shots, and playing with unbridled confidence—his shooting percentages of 65.2% FG and 50% 3PT prove it.

With all of this being considered, playing KJ 19 minutes in a game the Spurs were close in until the fourth quarter makes no sense—again—unless you're tanking. He was 3/5 from the field with six rebounds, five assists, and was a +2 in the plus/minus.

Not to mention that since Julian Champagnie was ejected in the third quarter after being in the game barely over a minute, there should have been more minutes available at the forward position.

San Antonio probably didn't anticipate winning the game against Memphis. If you're the franchise, you don't want to go on a winning streak. You want a better draft pick. But the game was looking very winnable. Alas...

When looking at the stats on the team's best two-man lineups since Wembanyama has been out, Keldon Johnson is in four of the top five and six of the top ten. It hasn't mattered who he's been on the floor with; the Mustang has been one of the best performers.

Despite these objective facts, he played seven minutes in the second half of a winnable nationally televised game against the rival Oklahoma City Thunder. That seems pretty unserious to me.

Mitch Johnson was not asked about this after the game, but he did admit that he may have "rode Castle and Fox kinda hard. "I rode Fox and Steph pretty hard there at the end of the second half. Maybe I could have got them out and got them a quick break."

It's hard to believe that this is just dawning on him or that nobody on the staff has thought of the need to give the guys rest or put back in players who have been playing well. So, I'm not going to, and neither should you.