On Wednesday, the San Antonio Spurs secured an additional accolade, as Keldon Johnson was recognized with the Sixth Man of the Year distinction. Johnson triumphed over Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Heat and Tim Hardaway Jr. from the Denver Nuggets to claim the prestigious honor.
Throughout the current season, Johnson participated in every single one of the 82 games, consistently contributing over 23 minutes per matchup as a reserve player. During his restricted playing time, he posted averages of 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game, demonstrably influencing the revitalized Spurs’ performance.
Originally drafted by the Spurs as the 29th overall pick in 2019, Johnson had served as a starter during the 2020-21 campaign. However, following the addition of Stephon Castle, the anticipated 2025 Rookie of the Year, Johnson’s opportunities in the starting lineup diminished, leading the 26-year-old to transition into an indispensable component of the Spurs’ second unit.
For the current season, Johnson typically filled a reserve role behind Castle at the shooting guard position, yet also provided valuable depth as an alternate small forward and power forward when required. He concluded the year having achieved scores of 20 or more points in 13 separate contests, twice reaching a personal season peak of 27 points; furthermore, he recorded five instances of double-doubles encompassing both points and rebounds.
Johnson established a new organizational benchmark this season by accumulating 1,081 points as a non-starter, thereby eclipsing the previous achievement by Manu Ginóbili from the 2007-08 season, when Ginóbili himself secured the Sixth Man of the Year title. These two individuals represent the sole players from the Spurs franchise ever to be granted this particular accolade.
On Wednesday, Jaquez secured the second position in the ballot counting, while Hardaway ultimately placed third.
Johnson now stands as the second player from the Spurs organization to claim an NBA distinction this week, following Victor Wembanyama, who received a unanimous decision for Defensive Player of the Year on Monday. Wembanyama is additionally considered for the NBA MVP, and Spurs’ head coach Mitch Johnson has received a nomination for Coach of the Year during his inaugural full season at the helm.
Presently, the Spurs are engaged in their initial playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers. The series currently stands tied at 1-1 subsequent to the first two contests held in San Antonio, despite the Spurs’ setback of Wembanyama sustaining a concussion on Tuesday evening. The third game of this series is scheduled for Friday, to be played in Portland.
