San Antonio Spurs: 2019 NBA Draft grades
Drafting Keldon Johnson with the No. 29 selection
The general consensus is that the man of two suit jackets shouldn’t have been available for the Spurs to steal with the No. 29 selection, because the Indiana Pacers had their sights set on taking him right before, per J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star.
Keldon Johnson (Kentucky) is a player #Pacers hoped to interview at predraft camp and work out. Neither happened, according to Player Personnel Director Ryan Carr. I’m told Johnson, who has gotten high marks from many during this process in my convos, won’t be on the board at 18
— J. Michael (@ThisIsJMichael) June 17, 2019
Even more so, Johnson was one of just 20 prospects invited to attend the Draft in the green room making his slide all the more unpredictable. So, for a player that some saw as a borderline top-10 as early as Monday, the Johnson selection has “steal” written all over it, and in bold letters.
At the call of his name, the relief on Johnson’s face was evident. On NBATV, the panelists wondered, too, what the reasoning was. Broadcaster and former 14-year NBA veteran Brendan Haywood put it simply, when discussing the pick:
"“If he was going to slide, I don’t think he could’ve slid into a better situation (than in San Antonio).”"
The Spurs’ mindset heading into the draft was to find shooting to mesh with their nonconforming stars in Aldridge and DeRozan. Johnson – the 2018-19 SEC Freshman of the Year – excels at shooting, particularly in spot-up situations.
Per SB Nation’s Pounding the Rock, Johnson averaged 1.08 points per possession in his 181 looks. This ranked 25th among the 96 to reach the sample size.
Simple per game statistics show a similar impact from deep. With 31.6 percent of Johnson’s shot attempts during his sophomore season being behind the arc, Johnson’s 55.6 true shooting percentage and 4.3 offensive box plus-minus numbers are particularly impressive.
Johnson brings a different approach to the types of players the Spurs have sought after. Whether it be professing his love to sideline models to his unorthodox college life, he won’t be the average Spur.
Still, teammates and coaches describe him as a high-character player that should adjust well on-court and off-court with the Spurs organization.
It’s also difficult to argue with the results with what the Spurs have done with drafting in the late-20s.
Over the past few years, they’ve uncovered numerous cornerstones at that spot, be it Derrick White (29th in 2017), Dejounte Murray (29th in 2016), Kyle Anderson (30th in 2014), Cory Joseph (29th in 2011), and George Hill (26th in 2008), among others.
The transition won’t be perfect, though. As a 6-foot-6 player hoping to play small forward, Johnson could struggle defensively in some matchups. His game – even on offense – isn’t as polished as it could be.
Outside of those catch-and-shoot attempts, he has a few moves that stand out on film, such as his quick first-step and sweep through the middle of the floor (particularly towards the right side) where he can shoot high-arching floaters, a la C.J McCollum (play example at 5:05).
Johnson’s ball handling will need some fine tuning if he hopes to pair it with his slashing ability – which worked to the tune of 1.1 points per possession in college.
The jury is still out, as to if his one-and-done decision will play itself out for the better. FanSided’s Mark Carman and Jasmyn Wimbish said he would have benefited from another year under Calipari’s coaching.
But for the flaws presented for a No. 29 selection, there’s plenty to like from Johnson.
Grade: B+