The Spurs have a Sixth Man of the Year candidate hiding in plain sight

The last time that the San Antonio Spurs had a true Sixth Man of the Year candidate was Manu Ginobili almost a decade ago, but perhaps not anymore. Fifth-year forward Keldon Johnson is expected to fill that role this season for the Spurs and has looked the part so far.

Johnson had always played with energy, but this season he could find his role on a good team. He has fearlessly sought to attach the rim every chance that he gets and has been effective in doing so thanks to his improved speed after losing weight this summer. Having a second-unit slasher who can put pressure on the rim by relentlessly attacking the paint is very useful.

Can Keldon Johnson win Sixth Man of the Year this season?

Sixth Man of the Year is among the weirder awards the NBA offers since it has essentially become who is the leading scorer off the bench. Team success also has a lot to do with it, so the Spurs would have to be at least in the playoff mix for Johnson to have a chance at winning the award.

Stats obviously will also play a big part in his candidacy and will depend a lot on how effective he is off the bench. Johnson will likely play around 25 minutes per game, and his scoring efficiently in the paint will help his case, but his offensive numbers will depend largely on his outside shooting.

After shooting 39.8% from three in 2021-22, he has shot below league average the last two seasons. If he regains his shooting form, then he can make defenses pay in multiple ways. Interestingly enough, he hasn't shot many in the preseason, which may be a conscious decision.

Keldon Johnson's new approach could help him win the award

In the preseason, he shot a blistering 62.1% on 9.7 shot attempts, averaging 14.3 points in 22.7 minutes per game. He accomplished that by barely taking threes, something that may actually help him. If he can shoot in the mid- to high 50s on twos and knock down wide-open threes, then that will earn him more minutes and, therefore, more shots and more points. 

That might seem simplistic, but given how up and down his performance can be, his focus more on slashing, cutting, crashing the offensive glass and scoring in transition instead of bombing from outside should make him a much better offensive player. It should also give him a shot at winning Sixth Man of the Year if the Spurs are good this season.