3 Reasons why Keldon Johnson is the perfect Sixth Man for the Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs have kicked off their regular season schedule, and while they came up short against an in-state rival, there were a handful of positive signs from this young group. Their tall-ball starting lineup flashed encouraging two-way potential, and their insane length could pose problems for opponents.

While fans are still arguing over who should open and close games for the Silver and Black, it seems Gregg Popovich is adamant about giving this group a chance to prove themselves. Keldon Johnson snagged a spot as one of the first five to take the floor each night, which sent Tre Jones back to the second unit for the first time since his second go-round in the 2-1-0.

However, trotting out Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, Victor Wembanyama, Zach Collins, and Johnson has left the starters without a pure point guard to control the game. The absence of a lead ballhandler raises several questions about how San Antonio will run their offense, and perhaps moving their fifth-year forward to the bench could provide some answers.

1.) Keldon provides the bench a consistent scorer

With injuries piling up last season, Keldon had an opportunity to shine on offense as the undisputed go-to scoring option for the Spurs. He averaged a career-high 22 points per game on 45.2% shooting in a brand-new role. However, the landscape changed after San Antonio landed Victor Wembanyama and welcomed back a healthy Devin Vassell this summer.

Keldon provided consistent scoring for the Silver and Black. But Vassell could make a significant leap this season and receive more shots after signing a lucrative five-year extension. Wembanyama enters the NBA as an All-Star caliber player, and while his arrival in San Antonio will spark their rebuild, it will also take more touches away from Johnson.

San Antonio holds onto Manu Ginobili dearly, a selfless player accepted worldwide as the best sixth man to set foot on a basketball court. Spurs fans could always count on him to come off the bench and hold the second unit together like superglue, but it was no secret that he was more than capable of starting for every team in the league. Could Keldon follow a similar path?

No one will ever be able to replicate the greatness that Ginobili displayed throughout his career, but it never hurts to try. Sliding Keldon into a sixth-man role would allow him to dominate second-stringers and form a dynamic scoring tandem with Malaki Branham that would help keep close games within reach. But more importantly, Johnson would offer an unstoppable force off the bench as someone with starter-level talent.

2.) The starters will have one less defensive liability

While Johnson is a consistent contributor from a scoring perspective, his lackluster production on the defensive side of the ball is his most notable flaw. The entire roster was a disaster on defense a season ago, but many considered him to be one of the most significant liabilities on the team.

You have to consider the position he was in. The increased offensive responsibilities across the board hurt his effectiveness as a defender. When injuries left the Spurs shorthanded, Johnson matched up against some of the elite scorers in the league. For the most part, Keldon held his own when San Antonio was healthy, but there's a lot of room for him to take significant steps on this end.

Is Keldon an outright terrible defender? No, not at all. Johnson always brings defensive intensity on a nightly basis. However, he must offer more than a relentless motor to build a reputation as a serviceable stopped. The advanced numbers weren't kind to Johnson last season, and he had a 121.4 Defensive Rating that ranked 525th out of 539 players. Improving in that department should be a priority.

The Spurs preached defense all summer, but they fell flat in their season opener, allowing Dallas to score 126 points. Keldon was far from the only problem, but there were still issues with his off-ball awareness and inability to contain his man off the dribble. A move to the bench could take pressure off Johnson while bolstering the starting unit with a reliable point-of-attack defender like Tre Jones.

3.) The second unit will let it rain from three

Johnson never hesitated to fire away from deep when the coaching staff gave him the green light to shoot last season, and he took 6.5 three-point attempts per game. He only shot 32.9% on those looks, but he could be in line for a resurgence in efficiency in 2023-24, which would be remarkable news for the new-look Spurs.

While the starting five consists of versatile scorers with elite defensive attributes, there are too many mouths to feed to offer Keldon the scoring volume he has grown accustomed to. San Antonio already has a bench full of guys who only need a glimpse of daylight from three, and teaming up with Johnson would give them an absurd supply of flamethrowers.

Spurs fans should salivate at the thought of Johnson sharing the floor with talented sharpshooters like Devonte' Graham, Cedi Osman, Doug McDermott, and Branham. Throwing the 24-year-old forward into the equation would help Coach Pop assemble one of the most dangerous three-point shooting lineups San Antonio has ever seen.

The NBA season is in full swing, and there is still plenty of time for this organization to make changes. But for now, the excitement surrounding San Antonio Spurs basketball is the highest it's been in ages.