San Antonio Spurs: Ranking 5 guys primed for a huge leap next season

San Antonio Spurs: No. 4 - Keldon Johnson

Usually, going from one start to 67 the following season is already a huge leap. For Keldon Johnson, it certainly was. What Keldon showed in the shortened 2019-20 season was clearly enough for Coach Popovich to make him a full-time starter this year, and the decision more than paid off.

Johnson showed remarkable maturity on the court immediately, often being the energy that everyone else fed off of without a crowd to rely on. While his early hot start cooled off once opponents started catching on to his offensive game, Keldon still averaged 12.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game for the Spurs.

So why is someone who already made such a huge leap on this list? Because he still can become much more with some offseason work.

Keldon already has a lot going for him after just two years in the league. For one, he's absolutely fearless in the paint and on the glass while having the big body needed to do real damage against much larger guys. Secondly, he's proven he can produce in ways other than scoring.

With all that said, Johnson must develop into a more reliable 3-point shooter to take his game to the next level. Too often later in the season, opponents were backing way off him, and he wasn't making them pay. Keldon's 33.1 percent shooting from downtown didn't scare anyone, and that severely handicapped his ability to get into the paint as often as he was early in the year.

If Keldon develops a consistent outside shot and a floater this summer, we're looking at a borderline All-Star in 2021-22.