Through the first three games of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the San Antonio Spurs‘ bench has been outscored by a sizeable 132 points.
Some of the blame for their struggles has gone to reigning Sixth Man of the Year Keldon Johnson, who has shot 34% from the field and is a -11.3 on the floor.
Ahead of Sunday’s Game 4, second-year guard Stephon Castle made some worrying comments, suggesting that Johnson is “in his head” and has allowed the Thunder’s physicality to get to him.
“Maybe he’s in his head a little bit, but I think just what he’s been for us all year is what we need him to be,” Castle said of Johnson.
Spurs ‘Need’ Keldon Johnson
Head coach Mitch Johnson has been hesitant to put Keldon in clutch lineups against the Thunder, unlike earlier in the postseason when Keldon was in several late-game scenarios for his all-around impact. Castle believes Johnson can make up for his struggling shot with his defensive pressure.
“I think it comes with his aggressiveness on the defensive end, and just allowing the game to come to him, ” Castle said. “Whether he’s making or missing shots, we need him and his energy on the court.
“We do everything we can to help him day in and day out. We have confidence in him.
Thunder Bench Dominates
Johnson (8.2 PPG) has been outscored by four Thunder bench players — Alex Caruso (21.0 PPG), Jared McCain (13.4 PPG), Cason Wallace (10.3 PPG) and Jaylin Williams — through the first three games. The Spurs know they need more from Harrison Barnes, Luke Kornet and even rookie Carter Bryant to stay competitive against the Thunder.
After Thunder’s bench outscored the Spurs’ 76-23 in Game 3, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault did not sound astonished by the stat.
“We just try to look at things through the lens of our own strengths,” he said of using 10- and 11-man rotations in the playoffs.
“We’re not looking at anything relative to the opponent. The last thing you want to do is assume that an opponent has a weakness that they don’t have. We assume the opponent’s always at their best, and we need to be ours and depth is a part of that. But it’s not relative to San Antonio.
“It just needs to be one of our strengths that we rely on regardless of circumstance.”
The Thunder’s reserves played a key role in the Thunder sustaining a 15-0 early deficit — on the road.
“We go out there and just play our brand of basketball no matter who’s out there,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said of his team’s depth.
Spurs vs Thunder Game 4 tips off at 8:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Spurs’ Stephon Castle Sparks Panic with Comments Before Game 4 vs Thunder