'That's My Job': When Spurs Need Energy, Keldon Johnson is Full of It

SAN ANTONIO — Keldon Johnson sat on the bench, as he always does, and waited patiently in line. It wasn't his night.

The San Antonio Spurs, facing the Oklahoma City Thunder with a spot in the NBA Cup Final on the line, needed everything they could get from Victor Wembanyama. In his return, the Frenchman was heavily restricted on minutes. So, Devin Vassell took the lead.

"I know that Vic, De'Aaron (Fox), Steph (Castle), Devin," Johnson said, "those are our guys. One of those guys will have it going."

Vassell finished the contest with 23 points. His offensive output helped secure the Spurs' third straight win; it also marked their third straight night with a different leading scorer. Johnson was the first off the bench to congratulate him.

Ten days later, it finally became his turn.

“We get it done by committee," he said. "We have that luxury that we can have multiple guys who can have a night. If somebody’s got it going, we’ve got to give them the ball."

Dec 23, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) reacts after scoring a 3-point basket ahead of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) during the second half at Frost Bank Center. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The Spurs opened their doors to a — by its standards — struggling Thunder team Tuesday night. An errant loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves two games prior blotched its record a third time, leaving the squad with a .500 record over four games.

Even with a second meeting with the Spurs slated for Christmas Day, Oklahoma City made nothing of any talks regarding a "budding rivalry."

"Respectfully," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault began, "We focus on how we perform. How we execute. How we coach. Whether or not we're improving ... all the narrative, all the noise, really distracts you from those things."

Johnson became part of the problem. He'd become accustomed to scoring near the rim or off offensive rebounds. He found his teammates around the edges.

This time, it was him waiting in the wings. The veteran forward missed only six shots en route to a team-leading 25 points. Fifteen of them came from beyond the 3-point line, yet it wasn't his scoring that stood out most to his coach.

"His team defense was a lot better as the game went on," Mitch Johnson said. "He made a lot of shots tonight, scored the basketball, but ... especially in the second half, he was a much better team defender than he was in the first half."

Nov 20, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson talks with forward Keldon Johnson (3) during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at Frost Bank Center. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Keldon Johnson played a crucial role in the Spurs' game plan for the night. Expecting a flurry of drives from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, San Antonio took it upon itself to keep the reigning MVP away from the free throw line.

“That was a big emphasis for us," Stephon Castle explained.

Gilgeous-Alexander, unable to get comfortable, didn't control the game's pace the way he's used to. Instead, Johnson's chest bumps with Wembanyama and bench barking kept the Spurs out front. Neither showed up on the final box score.

"We try to recognize and praise efforts like this," Wembanyama said. "It's all the little things that don't show up in the stats .... it's inspiring to see guys give effort toward things that don't show up on the stat sheet."

Keldon Johnson has slung hay bales over his shoulder before. They don't normally blare millennial pop songs loud enough to be heard by an entire tunnel network.

"I tried something different," Johnson said of his boombox rotation that, this season, includes Miley Cyrus and Vanessa Carlton. "Everyone was like: 'Oh, we rock with that.'"

Johnson has been San Antonio's resident D.J. for several seasons. At one point, he received several unwelcome complaints regarding his country music affinity. He's won over some of his newer teammates since.

"I am a country fan," Luke Kornet said laughing. "But I'm a little newer to the game. I was a big contrarian when I was younger. I was like: 'Ew, no.'"

Johnson knows his audience, however. Recently, the millennial pop has become a staple of the Spurs' pregame ritual. It helps bring the energy, which Johnson is responsible for.

He wears that like a badge of honor.

"That's my job," Johnson said. "I take pride in doing what my team needs me to do: being the energy guy, being the leader. Whatever role I need to be in for my team to be successful."

The forward admits it takes him some caffeine to get through a week. Between caring for his ranch and playing a sixth-man role for the Spurs, his schedule is rather busy.

Not even his teammates quite know how he does it.

"He's the constant energy of the team," Harrison Barnes said. "You see it on the box score, but even when you don't, he's always been the pulse of the team."

This season, Johnson is averaging 13 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists on a career high 58-percent shooting clip from the field and 39 percent from 3. Energy isn't measured, but as seen in San Antonio, it can be contagious.

Like all things matching that description, a natural danger that accompanies contagion. Johnson's control over it makes it even more effective.

"You still have to put the know-how, the execution with energy," Mitch Johnson said. "Energy, not channeled or directed toward the right stuff, can hurt you."

The Spurs are ready to accept that risk.

"The efforts we're putting on the court are paying off," Wembanyama said after a second win over the Thunder. "It's contagious, but we need to make it even more contagious and take pleasure from playing games like this. Doing hard things."

Dec 23, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forwards Keldon Johnson (3) and Victor Wembanyama (1) react after Johnson scored a three point basket during the second half at Frost Bank Center. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Through the first quarter of the season, Keldon Johnson's Spurs sit in a favorable position. Their expectations haven't changed from over the summer, and their mindset hasn't either. You'd catch them in the film room after a 20-point win before you'd catch them celebrating beyond the moment.

"We still have so much to prove," Johnson said. "We haven't done anything to be cocky or arrogant ... we have so much to get better at."

San Antonio is keeping a chip on its shoulder as it eyes the playoffs for the first time in the Wembanyama era. But Johnson won't allow it to be too serious.

"He's the same guy every day," Castle said smiling. "In practice, whether he's having a good game, bad game, he's always uplifting. It's easy for us to return the favor when he's having his nights because he has a lot of them."

Johnson had his latest one against Oklahoma City ahead of a rematch on Christmas Day. Knowing how he feels hyping up the game's leading scorer, he welcomes the fanfare he receives when proving his ability to impact winning.

Once the moment passes, his focus goes back on his teammates. Sitting in front of a microphone to face the press — by personal request — that's where his eyes went.

Studying the final box score in front of him, he found De'Aaron Fox's nine assists. Stephon Castle's four 3-pointers. Dylan Harper's five steals.

His 25 points, also listed on the page, didn't move him. But his smile moved the room.

"We won," Johnson laughed. "That's all that matters."