It's Too Early to Write Off Underrated San Antonio Spurs Duo

All offseason, the San Antonio Spurs have been linked to pretty much every player on the NBA trade market: Darius Garland, Trae Young, Lauri Markkanen, and even Stephen Curry. In most mock trades, the Spurs would send out Keldon Johnson. He is a promising young forward who hasn't exactly clicked with the roster in San Antonio in the last two seasons but is on a team-friendly deal. The general consensus is that he would thrive on a different roster.

However, at only 24 years old and entering his sixth season, he is primed to have the best season of his young career, and it would be in large part thanks to Tre Jones.

Johnson is coming off a season where he split time between the bench and the starting unit. He averaged 15.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists and shot 34.6 percent from deep, down from a career-high 38.9 percent in 2021-22. As the Spurs make it clear that their starting lineup will feature Chris Paul, Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Sochan, and Victor Wembanyama, Johnson is expected to be the leading scorer off the bench.

That role as a sixth man next to Stephon Castle is not enough to dissuade fans who have been calling for a trade, but it should.

Last season, Johnson played at least 250 minutes with ten different players. Per 100 possessions, the Spurs were outscored no matter who he shared the floor with, but his best pairing was with Tre Jones. When the two were on the floor, the Spurs were only -1.9 points per 100 possessions.

As Castle and Paul split the majority of point guard minutes, expect Jones and Johnson to share the court quite a bit. As Johnson plays next to a traditional point guard, he can serve as a slasher, and if his efficiency picks up, he can return to his role as a catch-and-shoot threat. Expect Jones and Johnson to be quite the connection off the bench for the Silver and Black.

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As News 4 San Antonio' s Dusty Garza wrote , Johnson won't be "the guy" for the Spurs this season, but he has been putting in the work to improve. He has had a career full of ups and downs so far in the NBA, and as he gets poised to reach new heights, the Spurs should continue to invest in him, especially as they look to add more depth. Why not just retain the offensive weapon they already have?