SAN ANTONIO — When Keldon Johnson first encountered new teammate Chris Paul this summer at the San Antonio Spurs’ Victory Capital Performance Center, he knew he shared a pair of significant traits with the 39-year-old so-called Point God: ownership of Olympic gold medals and entire careers spent wearing uniform No. 3.
Their golden connection was something to savor.
The identical numerical needed a haggle.
Paul has worn No. 3 in 19 previous NBA seasons, known by hoops junkies worldwide by his nickname: CP3.
Johnson chose to wear No. 3 when he began playing organized basketball in middle school, in large part because he so admired Paul’s play in the NBA and saw a role model in him. He wore the number through high school and in his one season at the University of Kentucky before the Spurs made him the 29th selection of the 2019 NBA Draft.
Johnson had some fleeting reluctance to yield No. 3 after he learned Paul had signed with the Spurs on July 7, but his misgivings melted quickly. He and Paul talked out things, and Johnson announced he would relinquish No. 3 so Paul could continue being CP3.
“It was all good,” Paul said with a bit of a grin. He denied any hard bargaining, which sometimes happens in such situations and requires the “new” player to fork over a bit of cash. “We figured it out.”
Added Johnson: “I wouldn’t necessarily say (I) put up a fight. Nah, we had some conversations and it is the ultimate sign of respect. Since Day 1, Chris has been nothing but amazing for not just me but my teammates and the whole organization.”
Johnson had worn No. 0 on several assignments to the G League’s Austin Spurs during his rookie season and has decided that will be his number this season.
Consider Johnson’s selfless act another example of his willingness to be a team player, a virtue he already had proven to Spurs coach Gregg Popovich through his first five seasons in San Antonio and as a bench player on the 2020 U.S. Olympic team for which Popovich was head coach.
Johnson is entering his sixth season and is the team’s longest-tenured active player. He calls the distinction “definitely an honor and a blessing to be part of an organization like this for such a long period of time, to be able to stick around and thrive.”
Johnson excelled as a starter, beginning with his second season in 2020-21. He started 67 of the 69 games in that COVID-19-shortened season. His scoring average increased, and by his fourth season, in 2022-23, he was the team’s top scorer, averaging 22.0 points per game.
But things changed last season, the Spurs’ first with burgeoning superstar Victor Wembanyama on the roster. Johnson started the first 27 games and made some big plays. On Halloween in Phoenix, he stole the ball from Kevin Durant with 3 seconds left in a one-point game and scored a layup, giving the Spurs a 115-114 victory over a team that had been a preseason favorite to contend for the Western Conference title.
It was a win that put San Antonio at 2-2, and when the Spurs followed with another win over the Suns just two nights later, they were a surprising 3-2.
Hopelessly unrealistic fans in San Antonio wondered if a playoff berth was in the offing.
Instead, what followed was the longest losing streak in franchise history, 18 straight defeats.
As they got to game 27 with a record of 4-23, Popovich shuffled his lineup. He ended his self-professed experiment using power forward Jeremy Sochan as a point guard. The veteran coach asked Johnson to become the team’s sixth man. Fourth-year swingman Julian Champagnie started every game for the remainder of the season, and Tre Jones became the starter at point.
Johnson remained the sixth man. A foot sprain kept him out of eight of the final 10 games, and by season’s end he had seen his playing time drop, from 32.7 minutes to 29.5; his scoring average dipped from 22.0 points to 15.7.
His response to such disappointment was a vow to be more prepared this season. He reported to training camp in the best condition of his life with significant weight loss despite added musculature.
Johnson looks positively skinny.
“He was spectacular coming in, really, really trim,” Popovich said. “I don’t know what his body fat was, but it’s the best he’s looked in a couple of years.”
How did he do it?
Learning what to eat, and when, was equally as impactful as giving up the many sweet things he had loved to snack on in the past.
“I feel like just being locked in on my diet and being serious about what I put into my body,” Johnson said. “Making it a lifestyle, not a diet. Not just something that is temporary for me. This is something I plan on making a lifestyle thing for me and my family, eating the right things and being in shape.
“You get the cravings for sweet things and stuff like that, but now I don’t think of those things because I have been so locked into basketball and so locked into putting myself in the right position to be successful. Not just me but my team. I feel like I owe it to my teammates to come in here and be in the best shape possible so I can help win some games.”
Wait, does that mean no more trips to Buc-ee’s, a popular Texas-based chain of gas stations/convenience stores?
Travelers are lured by low gas prices and an array of food and drink items, from salted cinnamon churro cashews to “beaver nuggets,” coconut pie cups and all manner of kolaches, Czech pastries that can be found at every store.
Johnson admits to having been a big fan, but no more.
“For sure, no Buc-ee’s,” he said. ”I’m locked in. You’ve got to make sacrifices. That’s what it’s always about. I enjoy my lifestyle that I have right now and the way I eat and carry myself as a professional.”
Those who have seen him all summer don’t doubt his dedication. They also have seen him poring over game films, examining dozens of hours of what he has done right and wrong in the past with a strong emphasis on defense, so he could understand the deficiencies in his past play.
“You stay in the gym,” Johnson said. “I feel like I am ready to defend. That has been my main thing this summer. You (media) guys will see that for yourselves, and you guys can tell me what you think. Defense has been a big part of my offseason.”
What role can Johnson expect to play this season after Paul and veteran forward Harrison Barnes joined the roster in July, not long after the Spurs made University of Connecticut combo guard Stephen Castle the No. 4 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft?
As impressed as Popovich was by Johnson’s conditioning, he isn’t likely to bring him back to the starting lineup. That’s no knock on Johnson but Popovich loves having an impactful sixth man. The 75-year-old veteran on the Spurs bench never hesitates to remind every reserve that Hall of Famer Manu Ginóbili played such a role for many of his 16 Spurs seasons and was named the 2007-08 NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
“We haven’t decided exactly what his role will be as we put the group together,” Popovich said on Johnson. “He has been very competitive, very focused, very purposeful.”
On Saturday, Johnson scored 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting in 23 minutes of a 126-120 preseason win over the Utah Jazz. He also added four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
“He is a pretty aggressive individual and he is playing very confidently,” Popovich said.
But it won’t be a shock if Castle, not Johnson, opens the regular as the starter at shooting guard until Devin Vassell returns.
Vassell, a starter in 62 of the 68 games he played last season and the team’s No. 2 scorer (19.5 ppg.), had surgery on his right foot in the offseason to correct what has been described as a rare type of stress reaction. The hope is for him to return in early November.
Johnson insists he is excited about everything he has seen during the preseason. That included a monster dunk by Castle against the Orlando Magic last Wednesday that brought him leaping from his seat on the bench to lead an “OMG” response among his fellow bench teammates.
A similar power throwdown by Johnson in the fourth quarter against the Jazz on Saturday brought a nearly identical out-of-his-seat reaction from Wembanyama.
Johnson can’t wait for the season to start, even if he isn’t on the court for the opening tip in Dallas on Oct. 24. His firm belief that the Spurs are good enough to become a winning team fuels his enthusiasm.
“I feel great,” he said. “I’m ready for a new season. I feel like we are going to go out there with the mindset and the pieces to win.”
(Photo of Johnson: Michael Gonzales / NBAE via Getty Images)
