By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-01-08 11:37:35
圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋凯尔登·约翰逊（3号）在球队以107-91战胜洛杉矶湖人队后，被队友们开玩笑地拍打庆祝。这场比赛于2026年1月7日星期三在圣安东尼奥的霜冻银行中心举行。约翰逊以27分成为马刺队的得分王。
凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 偶尔仍会回想起过去的美好时光。
那时他22岁，是NBA的首发球员，深受一位名人堂教练的信任，教练指示他每晚登场，竭尽所能地去得分。
然而，沉浸在这些回忆中的这位马刺队明星第六人，很快也会记起那些“美好时光”的另一面。
它们并非总是那么美好。
“我曾在联盟里场均得到22分，”约翰逊说，“但我们一个赛季也只赢了22场球。”
那是2022-23赛季，就在约翰逊和马刺队迎来巨变的前一年。那个夏天，马刺队抽中状元签，并用它选择了维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama)。
一位划时代超级巨星的到来，意味着上赛季首发阵容中必须有人要被调整到替补席。而这个人，最终就是约翰逊。
当彼时的教练格雷格·波波维奇 (Gregg Popovich) 告知他这个消息时，这位来自肯塔基大学的杰出球员并不开心。但在此后的几年里，26岁的约翰逊已经成长为一支季后赛竞争者队伍中名副其实的年度最佳第六人候选人。
凯尔登·约翰逊谈他“加倍投入”的替补登场方式如何点燃马刺队。 pic.twitter.com/rQe9AblRah
— Spurs Nation (@ Spurs_Nation) January 8, 2026
“在这个联盟里，年轻球员需要一段时间才能安顿下来，”马刺队主教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 说，他于上赛季初接替了波波维奇的职位。“我认为，就安于现状、安于自己的角色、安于自己所在的球队而言，他做得和联盟里任何人一样好。”
在周三对阵洛杉矶湖人队的比赛中，约翰逊那打了鸡血般的替补能量得到了淋漓尽致的展现。当时马刺正处于背靠背比赛的第二晚，24小时前刚刚在孟菲斯经历了一场令人心碎的惜败，他们正力图避免本赛季首次遭遇三连败。
在那个银黑军团大多数人都显得疲态尽显的夜晚，约翰逊从替补席上挺身而出，贡献了27分，为马刺队注入了强心剂，最终以107-91在霜冻银行中心取胜。
他周三激励这支略显萎靡的球队的方式，是典型的凯尔登·约翰逊风格。
圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋凯尔登·约翰逊（3号）在命中一记越过洛杉矶湖人队防守的三分球后，向观众做出手势。这场比赛于2026年1月7日星期三在圣安东尼奥的霜冻银行中心进行，马刺队以107-91击败了湖人队。
“就是加倍投入能量，加倍扮演好发声领袖的角色，在所有能激励我们振作起来的小事上加倍努力。”凯尔登·约翰逊说。
对阵湖人一役，约翰逊13投11中，其中21分来自内线或罚球线，这是他本赛季第二次领衔全队得分。
总的来说，约翰逊目前场均贡献13.5分——与他作为首发球员的全盛时期相比大幅下降——外加生涯新高的6.5个篮板。他的投篮命中率（57.4%）和有效命中率（64.3%）均创下了自2019-20新秀赛季短暂出场17次以来的个人新高。
身高6英尺6英寸的约翰逊，两分球命中率高达64.9%，位列联盟第九。在他身前的榜单上，没有一名球员身高低于6英尺11英寸。
当被问及约翰逊是否应被视为年度最佳第六人的早期领跑者之一时，他的教练毫不含糊地表示：
“他至少应该进入这个讨论范围，否则很难说得过去，”米奇·约翰逊说。“他一直表现出色，而且非常稳定。他已是球队的中流砥柱。这家伙每晚都如此。”
文班亚马，他自己最近因伤愈复出而担任替补的角色，或许也有资格成为最佳第六人的候选人，但他仍然视约翰逊为热门人选。
“当然了，”文班亚马说。“就这么简单。”
曾经不情愿担任第六人的约翰逊，如今已将自己重塑为马刺队史最伟大的板凳球员之一。凭借作为替补球员得到的2275分的职业生涯总得分，约翰逊已超越马科·贝里内利 (Marco Belinelli)，升至队史替补得分榜第五位。
这并非约翰逊曾梦想获得的荣誉，但却是他已学会欣然接受的身份。
“如果我说这很容易，那我是在撒谎，”约翰逊说。“作为一名年轻球员，你早期取得了一些成功，在NBA得了很多分，要做到退后一步、抛开你的自负，然后说‘好吧，我现在需要做些什么才能为这支球队做出贡献？’这需要付出很多。”
在约翰逊的教练看来，明确的目标让他得以释放天性，成为他在球场上本该成为的那种球员。
“当你有了那种清晰的认识与内心的平静，他就会全力以赴地打球，”米奇·约翰逊说。“这能让你从压力、个人议程、外界噪音或任何期望中解脱出来。”
听闻教练的这番分析后，约翰逊表示同意。
“当你明白自己是在为一个更宏大的目标而战时，这会给你的自信心带来一些不一样的东西。”凯尔登·约翰逊说。
对于约翰逊而言，这正是今昔之间最大的不同。排在他前面、位列马刺队史替补得分榜的四位球员——马努·吉诺比利 (Manu Ginobili)、帕蒂·米尔斯 (Patty Mills)、马利克·罗斯 (Malik Rose)和马特·邦纳 (Matt Bonner)——每人都至少拥有一枚总冠军戒指。
而在他效力马刺的七个赛季里，约翰逊还从未触及季后赛的门槛。那些年里，他大部分时间都在常规赛里刷着高分。
“那些得分远不如今年这样有意义，今年我们能够赢球，能够取得成功，能够和球队一起成长。”约翰逊说。
在周三由约翰逊率队战胜湖人后，马刺队的战绩来到了26胜11负，位居西部第二。
尽管前路漫漫，但季后赛从未感觉如此之近。
这让约翰逊豁然开朗。
或许，那些所谓的美好时光，就是现在。
“教练和球队从未放弃过我，”约翰逊说。“我从来不是一个完美的孩子。我也有过挣扎于适应不同角色的时期。但他们一直支持我，做我的后盾。现在的一切证明了，这一切都是值得的。所有的艰难时刻，都值了。”
San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) embraces San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) as they walk off the court for a timeout during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. The Spurs defeated the Lakers, 107-91.
San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) goes up for a shot over Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent (7) and forward Dalton Knecht (4) during the first quarter at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026.
San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) makes a three-pointer over Los Angeles Lakers forward Dalton Knecht (4) during the third quarter at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. The Spurs defeated the Lakers, 107-91.
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：How Keldon Johnson dropped his ego and found his calling
How Keldon Johnson dropped his ego and found his calling
San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) is playfully hit by his teammates as they celebrate the Spurs’ 107-91 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. Johnson was the Spurs’ lead scorer with 27 points.
Every now and then, Keldon Johnson still remembers the good old days.
He was 22 years old, an NBA starter, entrusted by a Hall of Fame coach who instructed him to go out every night and score as many points as he could or wanted.
Lost in those flashbacks, however, the Spurs’ star Sixth Man doesn’t take long to recall something else about the good old days.
They weren’t always so good.
“I averaged 22 (points) in the league,” Johnson said, “and we won 22 games.”
That was in 2022-23, a season before everything changed for Johnson and the Spurs. That summer, the Spurs landed the No. 1 draft pick and spent it on Victor Wembanyama.
The arrival of a generational superstar meant someone from the previous season’s starting lineup had to move to the bench. That wound up being Johnson.
The former Kentucky standout was not thrilled when then-coach Gregg Popovich broke the news. In the years since, the 26-year-old Johnson has developed into a bona fide Sixth Man of the Year candidate on a playoff contending team.
Keldon Johnson on how his “double down” approach to coming off the bench sparks the Spurs. pic.twitter.com/rQe9AblRah
— Spurs Nation (@ Spurs_Nation) January 8, 2026
“In this league, it takes young players a while to settle in,” said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, who took over for Popovich early last season. “And I think he is as comfortable and content in his own skin, in his role, in his organization as anybody in the league.”
Johnson’s over-caffeinated blend of bench energy was on full display Wednesday against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Spurs were on the second night of a back-to-back, having dropped a heartbreaker 24 hours earlier in Memphis, and were aiming to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season.
On a night in which most everyone else in silver and black looked ragged, Johnson came off the bench to supply 27 points and jolt the Spurs to a 107-91 victory at the Frost Bank Center.
His approach to sparking an otherwise listless team Wednesday was typical Keldon Johnson.
San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) gestures at the crowd after making a three-pointer over the Los Angeles Lakers during the third quarter at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. The Spurs defeated the Lakers, 107-91.
“Just double down on the energy, double down on being that vocal leader, double down on all the little things to get us up and going,” Keldon Johnson said.
Johnson went 11 of 13 from the field against the Lakers, scoring 21 of his points from either the paint or the free-throw line, and led the Spurs in scoring for the second time this season.
In all, Johnson is averaging 13.5 points – a precipitous drop from his heyday as a starter – to go with a career-best 6.5 rebounds. His field-goal percentage (57.4%) and effective field-goal percentage (64.3%) are his highest marks since a 17-game NBA cameo during his rookie season of 2019-20.
The 6-foot-6 Johnson is shooting 64.9% on 2-point shots, ninth-best in the league. No player ahead of him on that list is shorter than 6-11.
Asked if Johnson should be considered among the early frontrunners for Sixth Man of the Year, his coach left little doubt.
“It would be hard for him not to at least be in the conversation,” Mitch Johnson said. “He’s been phenomenal and he’s been consistent. He’s been a mainstay. It’s every night with that guy.”
Wembanyama, whose recent forays as a bench player in returning from injuries might qualify him as a Sixth Man candidate as well, nevertheless sees Johnson as the favorite.
“Of course,” Wembanyama said. “It’s as simple as that.”
Once a reluctant Sixth Man, Johnson has reinvented himself as one of the greatest bench performers in Spurs history. With 2,275 career points as a reserve, Johnson passed Marco Belinelli for fifth place on the club’s bench scoring chart.
It is not a designation Johnson ever dreamed of earning, but one he has learned to embrace.
“If I was to say it’s easy, I would be lying,” Johnson said. “As a young player, you have some success early on, you score a lot of points in the NBA, it takes a lot to sit back and take your ego away from it and say, ‘OK what do I need to do to be able to contribute to this team now?’ ”
The way Johnson’s coach sees it, a clarity of purpose has freed Johnson to be who he was always meant to be on the court.
“When you have that clarity and that peace, he’s just playing hard,” Mitch Johnson said. “And it kind of releases you from pressure, agendas, outside noise, whatever expectations.”
Apprised of his coach’s armchair psychoanalysis, Johnson agreed.
“It does something different for your confidence,” Keldon Johnson said, “knowing that I’m playing for a bigger purpose.”
For Johnson, that is the biggest difference between then and now. The four players ahead of him on the Spurs’ all-time bench scoring list – Manu Ginobili, Patty Mills, Malik Rose and Matt Bonner – all own at least one championship ring.
In his seven seasons with the Spurs, Johnson has yet to sniff the playoffs. He spent a lot of those years scoring a lot of regular-season points.
“It wasn’t as meaningful as it is this year as being able to win and have success and grow with the team,” Johnson said.
After Wednesday’s Johnson-led victory over the Lakers, the Spurs are 26-11 and in second place in the Western Conference.
Though there is still a long way to go, the playoffs have never felt nearer.
It has led Johnson to an epiphany.
Maybe, just maybe, the good old days are right now.
“The coaches and the organization never gave up on me,” Johnson said. “I was never just the perfect child. I had times when I struggled to adjust to a different role. But they stayed with me and they had my back. It shows now that it’s all worth it. All the hard times, it’s worth it.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News