Future Watch: Keldon Johnson Basketball Cards, San Antonio Spurs

by | May 17, 2021 | Basketball, Future Watch, Future Watch - Basketball, Player Profiles, Sports

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Future Watch: Keldon Johnson Basketball Cards, San Antonio Spurs – Keldon Johnson is not merely an emerging prospect, but he’s increasingly a prime example of the fluidity with NBA positions in the modern age.  A swingman throughout his career, Coach Gregg Popovich moved Johnson to power forward in the second half of this season and his ability to thrive in the role despite being undersized for it has given hope to San Antonio fans hoping to see pieces of a future core emerge.
A five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American coming out of the vaunted Oak Hill Academy, Johnson came to the University of Kentucky as part of a decorated incoming class that included Tyler Herro and Immanuel Quickley in 2018 – whereupon he captured SEC Freshman of the Year honors.  Contrary to some pre-draft predictions, Johnson fell to San Antonio with the 29th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, although the circumstances allowed him to become a part of one of the game’s premier player development programs.
Brought along very slowly as a rookie, Johnson only played nine games before the COVID-19 shutdown and only tallied double-digit minutes in five of them.  As such, Johnson’s breakout in the Orlando bubble was all the more impressive, with three 20+ point efforts.
This season, Johnson racked up five games with double-digit rebounds prior to the start of February, indicating that expanded minutes at power forward could bear fruit.  Once the positional experiment began in earnest, the March 19th game at Cleveland demonstrated the high upside that it promised: 23 points and 21 rebounds, with 11 of those offensive rebounds.
With expanded minutes, Johnson’s points and rebounds have progressed from his rookie season, while his turnovers have actually declined on a per-36-minutes basis.  Popovich’s willingness to experiment with the optimal spot for Johnson has reminded many observers of why he was such a prized recruit for Kentucky three years ago.  Additional exposure in this role will determine the extent of Johnson’s capacity to become a mismatch nightmare for defenses in the years to come.
Keldon Johnson’s officially licensed NBA rookie cards can be found in 2019-20 Panini NBA Basketball Card products. Collectors can also chase his officially licensed NBA basketball cards in 2020-21 Panini products, including the ALWAYS popular chase for Silver Prizms in 2020-21 Panini Prizm NBA Basketball Cards.

Future Watch: Keldon Johnson Basketball Cards, San Antonio Spurs – Stats

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Future Watch: Keldon Johnson Basketball Cards, San Antonio Spurs – Key Cards


Rick Morris
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