There's every reason to believe that San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson isn't paying lip service when he describes his new role.

“I roll with the punches and I adapt.”

That sounds like a phrase an athlete trying to find his niche would say.

“I feel like whatever is needed, that's what I do.”

Similarly, sounds like a player who realizes he can best contribute by being versatile.

“I just continue to bring positivity to the team, bring energy and adapt to whatever I need to adapt to.”

That would normally come from a member of the rotation who's trying to find a way to keep playing time. Instead, all three quotes come from a player who led his team in scoring last year.

Keldon Johnson last season

Keldon Johnson, Spurs

During a tough season that saw numerous injuries and plenty of — shall we say, caution — regarding player availability as the Spurs kept a sharp eye on the prize that would be Victor Wembanyama, there was only one certainty for the better part of the year: Keldon Johnson was San Antonio's best player.

In his fourth season out of Kentucky, KJ's 22.0 points per game easily led the team. Devin Vassell, who missed 44 games, mostly because of left knee issues that required arthroscopic knee surgery in January, ranked second with 18.5 points per game. No other Spur averaged more than 13 points per contest. Johnson's 32.7 minutes per game were also tops on the squad.

Though the Silver and Black suffered through a 22-60 record, it marked a career year for the 29th overall pick of the 2019 draft. After tallying 9.1 points per game in his rookie campaign, his scoring average improved to 12.8 and then 17.0 leading up to last season.

With Vassell set to return from injury and with the addition of a generational prospect in Wembanyama, Johnson faced an adjustment. What kind and to what extent were the questions.

Keldon Johnson this season

Four weeks into the 2023-24 season, Keldon Johnson's answers to questions about his role reveal there is no definitive answer — other than the ambiguity of ‘doing whatever needs to be done.'

To be sure, the 2020 Olympian has the ball in his hands plenty. He has led the team in scoring in five of the 13 contests he has played, and his 16.8 points per game aren't far behind Wemby's 18.6 and Vassell's 17.3 among team leaders. With those two in the mix, Johnson is not the first offensive option on this team, nor is he the second. Because Jeremy Sochan is learning how to run the offense as the point guard, KJ may not even be the third option on many possessions.

“I just try to lead and do what my team needs me to do to win. If somebody else has a role, if Jeremy has a role, Dev (Vassell), Vic (Wembanyama),  Zach (Collins), whoever it may be, I just roll with that and continue to feed off that.”

Bonded with Wemby, Sochan and Vassell as Spurs first-round draft picks, at 24 years old Johnson is the oldest among the team's young core. Perhaps, that best defines his unspecified role.

“When we start winning, y'all are always going to say, ‘KJ was the same person, winning or losing,' and that's what it's going to be. But, we're going to start winning. It's just a matter of time. We're learning, we're getting better.”