Spurs fans are wasting their breath on Mitch Johnson complaints

The San Antonio Spurs are not firing head coach Mitch Johnson no matter how much fans complain this season. The 39-year-old just led his young team to the NBA Finals in his first full season as head coach. Johnson stepped in midseason to replace the legendary Gregg Popovich in the 2024-25 campaign. That is a tall order, but Mitch has exceeded all expectations. The Spurs are back in title contention and arguably have the brightest future in the NBA.

Coach Johnson has several difficult decisions to make. No matter what he chooses, there will be moments where he is wrong. Dylan Harper is a starter on almost every other team in the NBA. He has already broken out, but the Spurs have De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle. They are loaded at the forward spots, which will further complicate the nightly rotation decisions.

Fans will and should complain when Johnson gets it wrong, but it won’t change anything. He is the Spurs’ second coach since 1997. This is an organization built on loyalty and stability. They are not firing their head coach just months after reaching the NBA Finals. San Antonio is ahead of schedule, and Johnson will continue to lead the charge.

The Spurs aren’t firing Mitch Johnson this season

San Antonio just went from 34 wins to 62. Fans were hoping they could make the playoffs before last season. Winning in the first round felt like a bonus coming into the campaign. The Spurs won three rounds and the entire Western Conference, including knocking off the defending champion Thunder. They lost to the Knicks in the NBA Finals, but it was still a magical season that exceeded what experts thought possible.

San Antonio had virtually no postseason experience. Mitch Johnson was in his first season as head coach. Fox played in one playoff series with the Kings. Wemby, Harper, and Castle were in their first postseason. The only players with championship rings were Harrison Barnes and Luke Kornet.

Johnson has equity from this run on top of the Spurs' love for continuity and stability. Firing a young coach that has already shown he can exceed expectations would be a mistake as San Antonio builds around an all-time great in Wemby.

Mitch Johnson will be far from perfect this season

The Spurs added Tobias Harris to give them 11 players expecting minutes this season. Coach Johnson can’t play that many players on a nightly basis. Depth is more important than ever in the NBA, but San Antonio has to manage the personalities and the minutes closely.

There will be mistakes and places for fans to question. That is part of the gig, but fans calling for Johnson to be fired are wasting their time. The Spurs need Harper to struggle down the stretch in some games to keep improving. They must keep the bigger picture in mind. The goal is to win the championship. If that means losing a midseason Tuesday game in Portland to rest key players, so be it.

Mitch Johnson will be the first to blame when things go wrong. There will be questions about why this player was on the floor over that one, and why he drew up that play. Those are valid criticisms, but fans tend to overreact in the moment. The regular season is an 82-game grind. Every coach and player makes mistakes.

San Antonio is going places and has the team to win it all. Fans need to have faith that coach Johnson and the Spurs will figure it out. There will be rough moments along the way, but that is part of growing and learning how to succeed together. Fans can and should get upset in the difficult moments. Just remember, coach Johnson’s got this and will keep pushing the Spurs forward.

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