Spurs: Keldon Johnson has ‘Most Improved Player’ written all over him

San Antonio Spurs: Keldon Johnson’s offensive improvement

Offensively, Johnson’s most impressive leap came in the form of his three-point shooting. From his sophomore season to last year, he upped his three-point percentage by 6.7 percent in just one season and is shooting even better now at 43.5 percent. With every season in the league, Johnson improved his volume and accuracy from behind the arc and is becoming increasingly more comfortable with taking the shots.

He does not even appear to be fazed by closeouts or contests anymore, and instead, he welcomes the challenge. At this point in the season, Johnson ranks fourth in most three-point shots made with 27.

This has him in line just behind Bojan Bogdanovic, Buddy Hield, and Steph Curry, who is not surprisingly leading the pack.

Last season, we could also watch Johnson improve his handling, confidently using gaps in the defense and weaving through double teams. This season, he should be able to display another leap in this area as the ball will be thrust into his hands a lot more often. With their primary ballhandler from last season gone to Atlanta, Johnson will be asked to create more for himself and his teammates.

The forward looks ready to take on this challenge, as he has grown into a much more efficient passer, and he can use this season to show that. He has only played a handful of games so far, but he is averaging twice as many assists as he did last season. As the ball finds its way into Johnson’s palms more often, his new, slimmer frame will come in handy once again.

Just like he is quicker on his feet defensively, he is now more explosive on the offensive end and can blow past his opponents. Fortunately, Johnson was able to embrace his new arsenal of offensive weapons quickly and expanded his pick-and-roll playmaking in just a few games this season. He completely took apart the Timberwolves’ defense with his pick-and-roll play, for example.