Can I call Stanley Johnson a bust yet? He’s still “only” 22 years old, I know, but has he gotten better at anything during his four years in the NBA? Is there one area of the game that you can point to and say “he’s definitely better at that then when he came into the league”? I don’t watch every Pistons game, but I’ve seen a lot of him over the years, and I can’t tell that anything has changed since his debut where he scored 7 (coincidentally his career average) in the second quarter. Man, I was so hyped when that happened. The hype is long gone, naught but a faintly remembered dream.
Not improving alone doesn’t make someone a bust. But he started off so poorly and he’s just as bad as he was then and I seriously want to call him a bust right here, right now. Can you stop me? You can’t. This is my description, and unless you write a letter to YouTube telling them that I’m spreading fake news in my videos by calling him a bust, you’re forced to sit here and take it.
This was a good game for him tonight. The third 20-point game of his career, I think? The Hawks are definitely the worst team in the league, but 22 points against real NBA players is still pretty nice. Props to him for that. I can give credit where credit is due. But this game and the one where he dominated LeBron and that other one don’t make up for all the bricks Pistons fans have had to endure from their 8th overall pick.