Keldon Johnson is not the best player to have ever suited up for the San Antonio Spurs, but he's forced his way into rare company and should be considered a franchise legend.
Keldon Johnson is the longest-tenured player on the San Antonio Spurs, but he's never played postseason basketball.
His rookie season, 2019-20, marked the first time in 22 years that the Spurs missed the playoffs. They haven't been back since.
Johnson's tenure with the Spurs has been filled with ups and downs. At times, he looked like a franchise player, although it was clear that with him leading the way, the Spurs would be destined to win around 35 games a season. He has always been talented, but that simply wouldn't do.
Johnson battled trade rumors, a demotion to the bench, and taking a back seat, and readily admits that there were some real low points. However, as he's seen the Spurs' vision take shape and finally result in success, he's more bought in than anyone.
Keldon Johnson Is the Ultimate Spur
David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and, of course, Tim Duncan are generally credited with being the quintessential "Spursy" players.
However, aside from the 1996-97 season, where Robinson was the lone star and only played in six games, those four players never once had a losing season. They dominated their entire careers, but it wasn't like they had to struggle for much. Everything came together for them.
The same can't be said for Johnson. Like the Spurs' Greats before him, he puts the "we" before the "me," but there were some days he would have preferred to skip.
"I didn’t take it well," he reflected in an article for the Players' Tribune. "I sulked. I let the outside noise affect my play. I didn’t present the best version of myself as I was coming off the bench for the rest of that season. And I knew that I was much better than that."
Now, Johnson is still playing a smaller role than he did in years past, but the energy has shifted.
"The best way I can describe our group is like a rodeo," he added, referring to this season. "Everybody on the team has their own unique vibe and personality, and when it all comes together, it’s just wild. And we thrive off that. We thrive off that chaotic energy of yelling and screaming, and laughing and joking 24/7. And on the floor, that turns into something special."
Is Johnson a legend like Tim, Tony, Manu, and David? Not in the same sense, no, but he's one of the rare Spurs players who played on a losing team in San Antonio, and is one of the first to have turned things around.
Other teams have plenty of guys who have done the same thing. The Spurs? Not so much.