Spurs' Keldon Johnson Explains His 'Rough Patches' Amid Brutal Shooting Stretch

San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson has gone through a forgettable stretch of inefficiency during the team's eight-game losing streak.

San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson has been a clear go-to option for the Silver & Black this season and has flashed All-Star potential along the way. At one point, he was even neck-and-neck with Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry for most made 3-pointers in the league

And in Saturday's 143-138 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Johnson led the Spurs with 26 points and 10 rebounds. But a positive stat line on paper came on the heels of some more inefficiency that Johnson's been experiencing as of late, as he went 10 of 28 from the field and fouled out.

"Every player goes through rough patches," he said. "It's hard to shoot the ball at whatever percentage I was shooting at at the beginning of the season. I started off really, really hot, and then a little setback came."

Amid an eight-game losing streak, the inefficiency has become a trend for Johnson. In the first meeting with the Lakers, he went 4 of 20 from the field and 1 of 10 from deep to finish with 12 points. A few days later in a 129-110 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, he had just five points on 2 of 9 shooting, his lowest scoring output since March 3 last season.

And in the home back-to-back against the Lakers, Johnson went a combined 16 of 51 from the field.

But as a leader of the team, he's taking full accountability for his recent play.

"I knew that I had to play better," Johnson said Saturday. "I was letting myself down, my team down, my coaches down, I just knew that I had to play better."

The positive news for Johnson is that he's shown what he's capable of when he gets into a rhythm. He's still averaging 20.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and three assists, but is shooting the fourth-lowest percentage on the team (40.4).

He'll get his next shot to right his wrongs when the Spurs visit the Oklahoma City Thunder (8-12) on Wednesday at Paycom Center.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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