According to ESPN's Shams Charania, San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Mitch Johnson is expected to serve as interim coach indefinitely while Gregg Popovich deals with a “health issue.”

Charania reported that the situation arose for Popovich before Saturday's 113-103 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 75-year-old was not on the bench due to an unknown illness.

“Mitch did a great job,” point guard Chris Paul said after the win. “There's always something happening in this league, and just like with players, it's a matter of it being the next man up. So give Mitch a call.”

Johnson began his coaching career in 2016 with the Austin Spurs of the NBA G League. He moved to San Antonio in 2019 and steadily moved up the bench with the departures of Tim Duncan, Becky Hammon and Will Hardy.

Popovich's reputation precedes him. Widely considered one of the greatest head coaches of all time, he has five titles and a record 1,391 regular season wins.

With the Spurs heading toward 22 wins and a complete rebuild in 2022-23, it looked like his legendary career was slowly coming to an end. Then San Antonio won the 2023 draft lottery and earned the right to take Victor Wembanyama first overall.

Perhaps it's no coincidence that Popovich signed a five-year contract worth a reported $80 million ahead of the 2023-24 season. That removed any doubt about his short-term future.

The Spurs equaled their 22-60 record despite Wembanyama arriving and immediately emerging as a unique talent. Their 3-3 start suggests there should be some progress on the field this year.