The dream starting 5 for the San Antonio Spurs 5 years from now

Small Forward: Keldon Johnson

Next up, at small forward, is Keldon Johnson, who, despite the fact he is entering his fifth season as a Spur, would be just 29 in five years. Even then, it is entirely possible that Johnson won't be on the Spurs then, but he is both young enough and cheap enough to keep around. Especially with the Spurs being able to have cap space for the next few summers.

After all, he is on one of the best contracts in the NBA, and that cheap number will make it easy for him to outperform it. By then, Johnson would be the elder statesman of the team, having spent his first 10 seasons in Silver and Black. Whether "Big Body" can stick around will largely depend on two things: his shooting and his defense.

Johnson had a career year last season, but despite starting 2022–23 shooting red hot from three, he cooled off considerably from beyond the arc. That type of hot-and-cold shooting has plagued Johnson over his career, making it hard to tell whether he is actually a good shooter or a mediocre one who can get hot over long stretches.

It's hard to say, but I lean towards the former since he shot nearly 40% from three in 2021–22 and 42% on very high volume over the first 15 games last season. If he settles into being a 37% shooter from three, then Johnson can easily be an efficient 20-point-per-game scorer in the NBA going forward.

Defensively, Johnson's progress has stalled, but playing next to several good defenders should help him make strides on that end and improve his value. Those two swing skills would determine whether he sticks around, but it's possible that he makes improvements in both areas and remains a part of the team's future.