Spurs' Keldon Johnson paying it forward in mentoring Spurs rookie class

San Antonio Spurs player Keldon Johnson holds the microphone out after telling fans to yell "Go Spurs Go" following the Silver & Black Scrimmage at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News) Spurs rookie Tarris Reed Jr. learned something recently about Keldon Johnson that made a big impression on him."I didn't know he averaged 20 points a game in the league, but then took that role from being a starter to coming off the bench," the 26th overall pick said of the reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year, who averaged 22.0 points over 63 games as a starter in 2022-23.That bit of Spurs lore about sacrificing for the good of the team is one of the lessons Johnson, 27, has shared with Reed, 23, and the three other members of the team's 2026 rookie class with a pay-it-forward attitude that stems from his gratitude for all the help he received from veterans back when he was a youngster."I just try to be that helping hand for them, like I had coming in," Johnson said.UP NEXT:Spurs vs. Timberwolves: How to watch on TV, who's starting, who's out?The Spurs selected Johnson 29th overall in 2019 out of Kentucky. Almost immediately, he received a welcoming phone call from Dejounte Murray. When Johnson got to the practice facility for open gym that summer, Murray, DeMar DeRozan, Patty Mills and others were ready to show him the ropes."I had Dejounte," Johnson said. "He was amazing for me. DeMar was amazing for me. Patty Mills was a great guy who set the example for me and helped mold me into an NBA basketball player. I try to do the same for the rookies coming in. Whatever they need advice on, I try to be there for them and help any way possible."That's what my vets and big brothers did for me."Reed hangs on Johnson's every word and is a big fan of his mentor's high-energy approach to basketball and life."His leadership, his energy is just so contagious," Reed said in the locker room before last Wednesday's overtime victory at Utah. "It just echoes throughout everyone in the room."On cue, Johnson walked past Reed carrying his trademark blaring boom box. San Antonio Spurs center Tarris Reed Jr. (10) reacts after teammate Keldon Johnson (3) makes a shot during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, in San Antonio. The Thunder won 116-104. (Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News) "See, there he is," Reed said with a big smile.Wednesday's game pitted teams led by two coaches, the Spurs' Mitch Johnson and Utah's Will Hardy, who helped develop the young Keldon as assistants on Gregg Popovich's staff.Both coaches can't believe that the boisterous forward dubbed a "mustang" by Popovich is now in his eighth season, which makes him the longest-tenured current Spur."I think Keldon is the last player left from the (pandemic) bubble and there's not many of us staff members left from the bubble," Mitch Johnson said. "That team had LaMarcus (Aldridge) and DeMar, Patty. There was a lot of corporate knowledge, a lot of foundation and bricks being laid at that time in terms of what we were trying to build and how we wanted to continue to build habits with a lot of new faces in the locker room."And so it's pretty cool to see that kind of flip now and have Keldon helping to educate and pass along some of that corporate knowledge."Asked about Keldon, Hardy took a playful jab at his former protege."I don't know what's more unbelievable, that's he's in his eighth year or that mustache," Hardy said.MORE SPURS:Why injured T-Wolves star Anthony Edwards has the Spurs' sympathiesTurning serious, Hardy marveled at how Johnson's demeanor off and on the court hasn't changed since he was a rookie."KJ is still the same, and I mean that in a great way," Hardy said. "He plays with such force and tenacity."Hardy recalled how DeRozan and the other vets were all eager to help Johnson and other newcomers to the league."Every young player is impacted by veterans around him and Keldon was lucky to have a lot of good ones early in his career," Hardy said. "And now it is hard to believe he is mentoring some of the young players on the Spurs. And I'm sure he's doing a great job because the things Keldon stands for are really core tenants any coach, any program would want their young players to be trying to absorb."His competitiveness night in and night out always stands out." San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson signs autographs and talks with fan Juan Rivera after practice at the Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News) Hardy remembers that the biggest lesson vets like DeRozan tried to impart to Johnson was the need to harness his energy."KJ was young and so competitive and full of energy, and those guys were trying to help sort of direct that energy into the right places," Hardy said. Now, Johnson is trying to do the same with Reed and the other rookies, including Jayden Quaintance, the 20th overall pick who is sidelined after offseason knee surgery, and second-rounders Ja'Kobie Gillespie and Maliq Brown."They are tremendous and work extremely hard and really study the game of basketball," Keldon said. "(With the exception of 19-year-old Quaintance) they're a little bit older than regular rookies. They're pretty mature. They're good people to have around. I'm excited for their future as well. I think they'll definitely help us down the road, and even now if they get that opportunity."Reed said that even if Johnson never said a word to the rookies, he would be helping them by the example he sets."He's really the guy that's bringing the team camaraderie and that has sacrificed a lot," Reed said. "He's just so unselfish, so bought into the team, doesn't have ego. He's encouraging us to really pour into each other because we all have a mission, a goal to win the whole thing this year, but we know we can't do it without each other."SubscribeThere’s more to San Antonio with the Express-News. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Spurs' Keldon Johnson paying it forward in mentoring Spurs rookie class.