What Did Dejounte Murray Say About Mitch Johnson?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonah Kubicek | Last updated Dec 9, 2024 3:30 PM ET

Ever since Gregg Popovich suffered a mild stroke on Nov. 2, the San Antonio Spurs have been led by 38-year-old acting head coach Mitch Johnson, who is 10-9 as the head coach this season.

Johnson has been an assistant on Popovich's staff since 2019 and played college ball at Stanford before getting into coaching. While the Spurs continue to wish Pop a speedy recovery, it's hard to deny that the transition hasn't been seamless, with Johnson filling the big shoes.

After the Spurs beat the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday 121-116, former Spur Dejounte Murray took a few moments to praise Johnson.

"I'm happy for him," said Dejounte Murray. "When I'm not playing, I could be in fan mode just watching him...just to know how far he came, I'm not surprised. Everyone around the Spurs' organization would tell you they're not surprised. His knowledge is one of the best."

In three seasons with the Spurs, while Johnson was on the staff, Murray blossomed and averaged 16 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 6.3 assists while improving as an offensive weapon.

Under Johnson's tutelage, Murray became an All-Star and led the league in steals, and thinks the Spurs are in good hands with him.

"I can see that the guys respect and love him, even when I was here. From afar now, the great things I hear, I'm not surprised. He's a high-character guy who lights up the room."

The Spurs will not play next until Friday when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers, giving Johnson ample time to run workouts and practices.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: