Spurs coach Mitch Johnson dealing with adversity with ease

LAS VEGAS — Victor Wembanyama missed 12 of San Antonio’s first 25 video games this season. Dylan Harper has missed 10 already for the Spurs, whereas Stephon Fort has been out for 9 and De’Aaron Fox could not play in eight.

That is loads of accidents.

Coping with adversity has been an every-single-day chore for Mitch Johnson since he inherited his job as coach of the Spurs, a transfer that got here unexpectedly when NBA all-time wins chief and franchise patriarch Gregg Popovich had a stroke in November 2024. He wasn’t planning to turn out to be a head coach on that Saturday afternoon when Popovich was stricken, and the job he did was greater than admirable to complete out the season.

Now? The Spurs seem like they could possibly be contenders for the primary time in a few decade. Johnson — regardless of all of the harm points — has appeared unflappable, guiding San Antonio to a spot within the NBA Cup championship recreation towards New York (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+, 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT) and getting the crew off to a begin that implies its first playoff look since 2019 could also be awaiting this spring.

“I belief in Mitch 100 per cent,” Spurs guard Devin Vassell mentioned. “Mitch was my participant growth coach once I first received right here, so I feel me and him have a good higher connection than the skin sees. However all of us belief him. He’s the brains of all of this. He helps us with every little thing … and we’re simply going to maintain counting on him. He is our head coach and we belief in him.”

There is a cliche in sports activities, and it is a cliche for a cause: By no means observe a legend.

Johnson did not have a lot of a selection.

He received his first recreation on the night time when Popovich had the stroke, continued holding the fort even after Wembanyama was shut down on the all-star break when deep vein thrombosis was present in one in every of his shoulders. Johnson completed 32-45 final season, doomed on the finish by a 3-9 stretch over the ultimate 12 video games.

This 12 months, San Antonio is off to its finest begin since 2016-17. That was a crew that went to the Western Convention finals led by Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge, nonetheless had Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili contributing, and Popovich added 61 teaching wins to his assortment.

“I’m not Pop,” Johnson mentioned, “so I can’t lead how he did.”

Popovich’s methods have been the appropriate methods; the report complete of 1,390 wins greater than proves that a lot. However it does not imply Popovich’s methods are the one methods; living proof, the best way the Spurs closed out their Cup semifinal win over the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder on Saturday night time. Popovich staunchly opposed fouling within the remaining moments with three-point leads, and Johnson had the Spurs do it on three separate events down the stretch of their 111-109 win.

The Spurs’ Manner remains to be The Spurs’ Manner. Johnson is simply making gentle little tweaks right here and there.

“I feel our franchise is used to and dedicated to successful, and that’s not a knock to another franchises, however some individuals which have been with our franchise for a really very long time have set a basis and embedded ideas that has allowed that to occur over time,” Johnson mentioned. “I feel when we’ve got not been successful as just lately, loads of these ideas and methods we function haven’t modified or wavered. We simply wanted to proceed to develop with this group.”

He simply wanted a while to develop as effectively. It is not simple to observe Popovich, not simple to teach a worldwide celebrity like Wembanyama, not simple to attempt to discover the most effective recipe for having veterans and younger guys mesh collectively.

Someway, Johnson has made all of it seem to be no massive deal. The NBA Cup remaining was an apparent step in the appropriate route, and the Spurs appear to have a ton of confidence after getting off to this sort of flying begin.

“He’s all the time been very hard-working, excessive character, good particular person, very regular emotionally,” mentioned Thunder coach Mark Daigneault, who has identified Johnson since they have been arising collectively as coaches within the G League. “He doesn’t stand up and down. And he is actually labored his means via that group to get so far. He is executed an amazing job, even final season in a tricky circumstance, after which this season with a full coaching camp. So, I’ve received loads of respect for Mitch and loads of respect for the work he’s doing proper now.”