2019 NBA Draft Grades: Spurs Select Keldon Johnson With No. 29 Pick

In his lone season at Kentucky, Johnson averaged 13.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

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The Spurs selected Kentucky guard Keldon Johnson with the No. 29 pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

Jonhson, listed at 6' 6'', 211 pounds, was ranked the No. 7 prospect in the class of 2018 and received offers from a number of big time schools such as UCLA, Florida and Louisville before committing to Calipari's Wildcats. He was the No. 1 player from the state of Virginia and ranked No. 4 for his position nationally. 

In his lone season at Kentucky, Johnson averaged 13.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists. 

Johnson scored a career-high 27 points early in the season against Tennessee State. 

SI draft expert Jeremy Woo's breakdown: Johnson has always been a player whose value lies in his floor as a likely contributor, and while he may not end up in the lottery, he has the type of intangibles and skill set that teams will be happy to roster at a position of need. His three-point shooting has been encouraging and his competitiveness consistently runs high, but he’ll need to find ways to be effective getting into the paint and finishing, where his struggles changing speeds and elevating might make things difficult. Johnson also doesn’t have much of a playmaking element to his game. The fact he plays so hard is going to cover up some of his issues, but for someone who has always been pegged as a scorer, he will have to adjust his style of play a bit to fit in as a glue guy moving forward.

Woo's Grade: B+

This is a fall for Johnson, but in this range, he’s a really nice value for them—he profiles best as a role player, and at No. 29, his position is commensurate with that. Johnson has a solid all-around skill set and competes, but has work to do playing off the dribble. He could be a nice piece for them long-term, and makes sense with their pieces. He was projected to go a bit higher than this, but I think this fit ends up being mutually beneficial.