Hometown favorite is playing himself back into hearts of Spurs fans

Since the All-Star break, the Spurs have been in a state of flux. Star big man Victor Wembanyama was announced as being out for the remainder of the season with a blood clot, and the team’s play has dropped off dramatically, as they’re losers of four straight, with the closest loss margin being six points.

Coach Pop has been ruled out for the remainder of the season as well, after suffering a stroke earlier this season. Where the Spurs go from here is anyone’s guess, but with two first-round picks in this upcoming draft, it’s looking more likely they’ll do their best to maximize the return on those two early selections.

The Spurs are still playing for pride

There are still bright spots for the team amidst the frustration, and one of those highlights of late has been “old reliable": Keldon Johnson.

Keldon’s had a whirlwind of a career as a Spur, and he’s a polarizing figure among fans. He’s come off the bench, been a starter, been the subject of trade talks for years, and played very poorly or extremely well at various times.

The guard is in one of those stretches of quality play right now. Over his last 20 games (excluding Houston), Keldon’s shooting 50.9% from the floor and 40% from three-point range.

For a team floundering right now, they need a veteran presence to steady the ship and help this team regain cohesion and move forward in the best direction for the rest of this season.

His last five games have been excellent. Johnson’s shooting 70% (36-51) on two-point field goal attempts, and 47% (7-15) from the land of plenty. He’s played no less than 24 minutes in each of the last five games, more than his season average of 23.5 per game.

The Spurs, as a young team that’s looking to build a culture, need to face and learn how to cope with adversity. To do that, they need to lean on their leaders to illustrate the way to traverse the tribulations across an NBA season.

Keldon Johnson is the leader of this team

He’s the guy to lead them through this tough stretch. He’s a Spur through and through. He sees the organizational vision and puts himself at the forefront of helping others continue to express that vision.

Aside from all the superlatives unrelated to his actual basketball game, Johnson’s play on the court speaks for itself over the last twenty games. With a leader like KJ, the Spurs will be a better team moving forward into next season.