NBA Power Rankings: Tiering all 30 projected starting small forwards for 2023-24

19. Keldon Johnson, San Antonio Spurs

After winning the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery and the No. 1 overall pick, the San Antonio Spurs are back in the limelight. While it may take some time for the Spurs to fully bounce back up the Western Conference standings, there’s a reason to be excited about this franchise heading into the start of the season. While Victor Wembanyama is one part of it, another is their already talented young core of players in place.

Keldon Johnson is among that group for the Spurs. Johnson is coming off a season in which he averaged 22 points, five rebounds, and three assists on 45 percent shooting from the field. Johnson appears to be a foundational piece for San Antonio moving forward and is locked in with the Spurs for the foreseeable future.

The Spurs are going to have to make a decision on Johnson pretty soon here, and it’s almost impossible to predict what this franchise will end up doing (especially after they out of the dark traded Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks last offseason). The true test for Johnson will likely revolve around how good he looks playing next to Victor Wembanyama.