I feel like, every time in the past that I have had harsh words for Stanley Johnson (specifically for his lack of production on offense), there’s at least one or two Stanley Johnson apologists who would enter the comment section of the video and tell me that he’s actually secretly really good and important to the Pistons. Unfortunately, I can’t check this hypothesis because my whole channel got deleted (still salty about that one), but I’m pretty sure these aren’t fake memories. And if they ARE fake memories, they were planted by aliens, so, again, not my fault.
Here’s some more harsh words for Johnson: it’s his fourth year in the league, and he’s still only scored above twenty points THREE times. This game is the thirteenth-highest scoring game of his career. I don’t care about how much defense he plays. I don’t care that he can lock down LeBron James. History has shown that defense-only players who are total liabilities on offense rarely are integral parts of championship-contending teams.
So, tell me Pistons fans: are you done with this guy yet? Have you given up on his ability to ever be anything other than a defender? I think if I was a Pistons fan, I wouldn’t even try to re-sign him after this season unless he really turned it around this season. Maybe this game is the beginning of that turnaround? Unlikely, but we can hope.