Tag: Keldon Johnson

Keldon Johnson played a pivotal role in Spurs’ win over Kings

Spurs rookie Keldon Johnson recorded eight points but his assist to DeMar DeRozan late may have been his biggest contribution of the night.

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San Antonio Spurs rookie Keldon Johnson helped his team kick off the season restart opener with a 129-120 win on Friday over the Sacramento Kings.

Johnson tallied eight points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal in 30 minutes off of the bench in just his 10th appearance with the Spurs this season. He went 2-of-4 from 3-point range and his six boards set a new career-high.

However, his assist late in the fourth quarter may have been his biggest contribution of the night.

With under 40 seconds left, and the Spurs up by six points, DeMar DeRozan was double-teamed near the baseline. DeRozan found a cutting Johnson and with the defense collapsing on him, Johnson passed it back to a wide-open DeRozan under the basket to seal the victory.

Johnson spent a majority of the season in the G League with the Austin Spurs but it appears as though he is set to play a big role during the seeding games at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Following the win, the Spurs moved to within three games of the Memphis Grizzlies in eighth place, and just half of a game behind the Portland Trail Blazers in ninth place.

The Spurs play next on Sunday against the Grizzlies.

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Ranking the 30 best players of the 2019-20 NBA G League season

With the NBA G League season likely to be canceled soon, Rookie Wire took a look at the best players to suit up this year.

As the NBA braces for a lengthy hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the growing belief around the league is that the G League season will soon be canceled.

The G League regular season was set to conclude on March 28 and the decision to end play is likely an easy one to make given the financial burden it places on organizations. While the season will soon be canceled, all G League players will be paid through the end of the year.

The NBA itself is preparing for the possibility of returning to play in mid-to-late June as the best-case scenario after the CDC recommended on Sunday that all events with 50 or more people be canceled for two months to help slow the spread of the virus.

With the G League likely set to be canceled, Rookie Wire decided to take a look at the best players to suit up this season as there have been some spectacular performances from around the league.

Players must have appeared in at least 20 games to be considered. Stats were used from the NBA G League, Basketball-Reference and RealGM.

30. Donta Hall, Grand Rapids Drive

Hall, who finished second in double-doubles among all players with 22, emerged as a strong post player with the Drive this season. He was named to the 2019-20 Midseason All-NBA G League Team and was solid all season long in his first year as a professional.

29. Christ Koumadje, Delaware Blue Coats

The 7-foot-4 center led the G League in blocks with four per game and was seventh in rebounding. He recorded two triple-doubles this season with points, rebounds and blocks and tied the mark for most rebounds in a game by an individual player at 24.

28. Kyle Alexander, Sioux Falls Skyforce

Alexander quickly became one of the best big men in the league this season and his play resulted in a two-way contract from the Miami Heat. He finished fifth in blocks and 14th in rebounding with the Skyforce to cap a productive first year.

27. Eric Mika, Stockton Kings

The former BYU product placed 29th in scoring among all players and second in rebounding. Mika recorded 16 double-doubles and tied the G League season-high of 24 rebounds by an individual player. He eventually earned a 10-day contract from the Kings in February but was not signed to a second one.

26. Paul Watson, Raptors 905

Watson was named to the 2019-20 Midseason All-NBA G League Team and continued his strong play for the rest of the season. Watson scored in double figures in each of his 30 games played in the G League and eventually earned a two-way contract from the Toronto Raptors.

25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1

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Video: Spurs’ Keldon Johnson put the clamps down on Luka Doncic

The Spurs rookie came up with a steal against Doncic on one possession in the first half on Tuesday night.

San Antonio Spurs guard Keldon Johnson may have gone scoreless in the first half on Tuesday night against the Dallas Mavericks but the rookie certainly made up for it on the other end of the floor.

The 29th overall pick logged just six minutes of work through the first two quarters of action and found himself matched on Luka Doncic a few different times.

On one possession, Johnson showed off his defensive ability after forcing Doncic into a turnover. Johnson moved step by step with Doncic and eventually came up with a steal to set up a fastbreak opportunity.

As Johnson provided sound defense on Doncic, the task of completely slowing down the All-Star is no easy feat. Doncic went for 18 points alone in the first half but Johnson offered a glimpse of his two-way ability.

Johnson has spent most of the season in the G League but has found himself in a bigger role over the last three games. He scored a career-high 13 points on Friday as the Spurs lost to the Brooklyn Nets.

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Keldon Johnson scored a career-high 13 points on Friday with the Spurs

Spurs rookie Keldon Johnson logged a season-high 21 minutes in the NBA on Friday night during a loss to the Nets.

San Antonio Spurs rookie Keldon Johnson scored a career-high 13 points and five rebounds on Friday night during a blowout road loss to the Brooklyn Nets.

Johnson shot 4-of-6 from the field, including 1-of-2 from 3-point range, in a season-high 21 minutes of work. He logged nine of those minutes alone in the fourth quarter as head coach Gregg Popovich emptied his bench with the Spurs down 25 points to start the period.

The appearance was just the seventh of the season for Johnson in the NBA as the 29th overall pick has spent most of his time in the G League with the Austin Spurs.

Johnson flashed some of his potential during his stint on the court on Friday.

He has been productive in the G League, emerging as the leading scorer for Austin so far. In 31 games played, Johnson is averaging 20.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

With all things considered, Johnson had a good run with the Spurs on Friday night. While it wasn’t the Spurs’ night, the blowout loss allowed an opportunity for the younger players on the team to get some run.

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Keldon Johnson scored his first NBA bucket with the Spurs on Saturday

After spending most of the season in the G League, Johnson tallied his first points in the NBA on Saturday night.

San Antonio Spurs rookie Keldon Johnson scored the first bucket in his NBA career on Saturday night during a 127-118 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks on the road.

The 29th overall pick has spent the majority of the season in the G League with the Austin Spurs but was with the varsity team on Saturday. Johnson finished with two points and two rebounds in just over four minutes of work.

Johnson has proven to be a dynamic scorer in the G League so far during his rookie campaign and has shown that he belongs in the NBA. Johnson is averaging 19.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 19 games played with Austin.

His first bucket in the NBA was no cakewalk, either:

With the Spurs in the thick of the playoff race in the Western Conference, playing time may not be available for Johnson in the foreseeable future but the rookie has shown that he is capable of contributing.

The Spurs will face the Bucks once again on Monday night at home.

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Keldon Johnson went off for a career-high 32 points in the G League

Spurs first-round pick Keldon Johnson has now scored in double figures in each of his 14 games played in the G League.

San Antonio Spurs rookie Keldon Johnson recorded a career-high 32 points for the Austin Spurs on Tuesday night during a 120-114 loss to the Wisconsin Herd in the G League.

The 29th overall pick topped his previous best of 25 points in the loss while he finished by shooting 12-of-17 from the field, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Johnson also added eight rebounds, two assists and one steal for the Spurs.

Johnson has now scored in double figures in each of his 14 games played and currently ranks 15th in points scored among all players in the G League. He is averaging 20.4 points, six rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.

Johnson has mostly played in the G League this season as the organization has prioritized his development. With San Antonio struggling this season, the team may soon start playing the younger players on the team, which could open the door for Johnson later this season to get some run in the NBA.

For now, Johnson has proven to be a capable scorer in the G League.

Next up for Austin: A matchup vs. the College Park Skyhawks on Thursday in the NBA G League Winter Showcase in Las Vegas.

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Spurs’ Keldon Johnson tied a career-high Saturday in the G League

Spurs rookie Keldon Johnson matched a career-high with 25 points Saturday night with the Austin Spurs.

San Antonio Spurs rookie Keldon Johnson matched a career-high with 25 points Saturday night with the Austin Spurs in a 128-115 loss to the Iowa Wolves in the G League.

Johnson finished by shooting 9-of-13 from the field while adding four rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 27 minutes of work. Johnson has had no problem scoring this season in G League as he has now scored in double figures in all 11 games played.

The 29th overall pick has spent the majority of the season with Austin as he works on his development. Johnson is averaging 20 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He currently ranks 16th in the G League in total scoring.

While Johnson has played well this season, he has struggled with his 3-point shot. He is shooting just 14.7% (5-of-34) from beyond the arc and started off the year by missing his first 16 attempts of the season. Since then, though, Johnson has shot 5-of-11 over his last three games.

The Spurs return to action on Tuesday against the Stockton Kings.

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