While the season may be young, the NBA has already seen a few players outplaying expectations from before the season. One of these players is San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson, who has carried over his solid performance from the NBA bubble last summer into this season.
NBA fantasy basketball owners would be wise to keep their eyes on him as he’s already put up multiple 22+ point performances so far this year. The 6 foot 5 inch forward is currently averaging 13.9 points per game on an efficient 44.6% from the field. Also, averaging 30 minutes per game, he has established himself as a major piece of the team’s rotation.
Why fantasy owners should be interested
So far this season, Keldon has far outperformed his expectations coming into the season from an NBA fantasy basketball perspective. In ESPN leagues he had an average draft position of 131st, and 35th for all small forwards available. Currently, he’s sitting as the 17th best performing small forward.
Owners are starting to notice this uptick in performance as well. He’s currently sitting at 65% rostered in ESPN league, which is up significantly from one week ago when he was sitting at 38%. He’s shown to be a productive pick up in leagues, so players are wanting to get a chance at him while he’s still available.
Along with the quality output he’s had so far, there still reason to be even more optimistic about his prospects because when the Spurs get back to full health, he is likely to see more minutes at a position that’s not small forward, which would give rosters more wiggle room if he also received a PF designation.
Plus, it’s not just scoring for him, as he is productive in other categories as well. He’s averaging 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game, all of which are decent numbers for a mid tier small forward, which increases his value in roto leagues.
The team has also been consistently going to him in the 8 games they’ve played so far. Only once has he had less than 10 shot attempts, which bodes well for continued production.
Continuing his bubble play
Keldon Johnson had a very up and down rookie season last year. After receiving minimal action for the first half of the season, he saw a huge increase in his role once the bubble started up again in the summer.
Averaging just under 26 minutes per game, he came in as a bit of an unknown, but performed excellent in Orlando. Three times he went for over 20 points, including back to back 24 point outing to close the final two games, one of which was his first career double-double with 11 rebounds in addition.
There were some question marks for Keldon heading into the season after his bubble performance. Fans were wanting to know if the production would continue at the same level. Then he sustained a minor foot injury a few weeks before the season opener, which put his debut in doubt. Luckily, he progressed from the injury quickly and has come out with a blazing start for the team.
Moving forward
The season has been slightly disappointing for the SA Spurs so far sitting at 4-4, but they do have a win against the defending champion Lakers, and are getting quality output from young players like Keldon Johnson.
One positive note on the season for those who us who use ATS sports betting app or other tools for making wages, the Spurs are 6-2 against the spread on the season so far.
As the season continues on, don’t be surprised to see more Keldon Johnson performances that catch the eye as his role continues to grow in his second season.
Tags: sports betting
