San Antonio Spurs Expected to Sit Keldon Johnson Tuesday

The San Antonio Spurs will likely be without their leading scorer for tonight's matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans. According to San Antonio Express-News's Jeff McDonald, the Spurs intend to hold out Keldon Johnson due to a sore neck.

In addition to these players, Spurs expecting to hold out Keldon Johnson tonight in New Orleans due to a sore neck. https://t.co/E2QoBfomGI
— Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) March 21, 2023

Johnson leads the Spurs in scoring this season with his 21.8 points per game over 60 appearances. His increased role has tanked his efficiency: his .450 field goal percentage and .550 true shooting percentage are the lowest of his career. If this season has proven anything, it's that Johnson would benefit from a decreased focus from opposing defenses.

Still, any performance by an individual player on the Spurs needs to be taken with a grain of salt. The team is 19-52 and 14th in the Western Conference and have clearly embraced misery in their pursuit of a top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The Spurs famously transformed one abysmal season after years of contention into Tim Duncan way back in 1997. Duncan propelled the team to two decades of dominance that included five NBA titles. If early reports are to be believed, projected first-overall pick Victor Wembanyama projects to be a similarly transcendent player.

After tonight's game, the Spurs will travel to Milwaukee to face the Bucks in the second game of a back-to-back.