Spurs: 3 Ways Keldon Johnson must improve to become a star

Spurs: Keldon's ball-handling needs some work

While Keldon Johnson only recorded 1.1 turnovers per game this past season, which isn't particularly bad for a player of his age, I would be willing to bet that the majority of those turnovers came off dribble drives to the rim.

Most Spurs fans that have watched Keldon play should know pretty well by now that he is capable of making some powerful moves to the bucket that can get the best of many good defenders in the league. That said, it became increasingly evident as the season went on that Keldon relied on his strength quite a bit when attempting to finish at the rim. As opposing teams began to figure this out, Keldon hit a noticeable slump before starting to figure things out again.

Whether he was stripped of the ball on the way to the bucket or met by a good shot-blocker in the paint, teams began to recognize that Keldon is not the most creative ball-handler to ever grace the Spurs, at least for the time being. Even with that in mind though, Keldon is by no means bad at finishing at the rim, even through contact.

Gaining a tighter handle on the ball when driving, adding a hesitation dribble to throw defenders off-balance, and perhaps even adding a crossover into his game could help to make things much easier on himself when he reaches the paint, as ideally the perimeter defender will already fall behind on the play, only leaving a rim protector in Keldon's way.