06-29-2026, 01:32 AM
(06-28-2026, 11:27 PM)mvossman Wrote: Looking at the OP (for some reason you didn't put the full post in your response) he never actually said "CAN'T". He literally used the term "unlikely". A single rare event doesn't really argue against something being unlikely.
Here's a fuller quote, and I was true to the sense of what was being said in what I used ....
"Siakam is one of the better, more underrated high-post iso players in the league. Since Johnson isn't bringing those skills to the table, even on a rookie level, I'd say he's very unlikely to even be asked to develop those skills in the NBA. I guess the chances are never ZERO, but I frankly don't believe he'll ever remind one of Siakam on the offensive end."
he's very unlikely to even be asked to develop those skills
the chances are never ZERO, but
As I said before, the sense of what was written was to compare "Johnson when drafted' to "Siakam now, after years of development" to determine what Johnson can be. And it assumes the Mavs would be making THAT same sort of comparison and therefore would have no real thoughts of seeing if Johnson can develop like S did. Won't even try, why bother, they are too far apart right now. Given that M did it before with a similar starting player, why wouldn't it be extremely LIKELY (not "very unlikely") that he would try to get Johnson on the very same development path as he did with S, and keep pursuing that until (if) it is proven he cannot get there?
Obviously we can't assume what J will become, as well as what he won't become. But the idea that WE should never think it's possible, basing that on an assumption that the Mavs surely must have already abandoned such thoughts, simply does not fit the history of how Siakam came to be in the first place - and who was in charge of the process that made it happen.
I would also suggest that M may have gone down a similar path with OG, and then again with Barnes, and maybe then again with Colin-Boyles, to turn a limited player into one with a much wider skill set. All ended up in different outcomes from S, but S was not the only TOR draftee who clearly became much more (and different than) the player they were when drafted, right?