NBA oddsmakers make one thing crystal clear about the Spurs' bench

There's a lot of work to be done in the court of public opinion for the Spurs. Specifically, the oddsmakers at FanDuel, who don't believe this team has a real shot at housing a Sixth Man of the Year winner. There are 18 players listed before you see the first player from San Antonio on the list, and that player is Keldon Johnson.

Not only will the best player off the bench likely not be Keldon Johnson, but there's a good chance he'll be traded before the conclusion of the season. This is now a very deep roster. 13 players have legitimate claims to significant minutes on the court. Unfortunately, nobody runs a rotation that deep, so there will be someone on the outside looking in. He's going to be one of them.

FanDuel isn't wrong for their opinion of the Spurs' bench

They've yet to prove that they're worth a real nod to win anything. We live in a society that requires proof more often than not before we make any big claims about what should be. Fans are one thing. We have the right to say whatever we want to elevate our players. Predicting big years from the team is exactly what the supporters should be doing.

However, the gambling companies don't work for us, nor is it in their best interest to root for one team or player with the lines they put out to the public. So, they'll need to see it first. To tell the truth, when it comes to Johnson, he'll have to show Spurs Nation, too.

He still has his fans, but there are a lot more skeptics than there are believers at this point. KJ is still young, but he's been in the league for going on seven years. It's rare that you see a player evolve significantly after spending that much time in the pros. Some guys hit their ceiling a little quicker than others, and Keldon feels like a prime example of that.

To change that, he'd really have to go into the lab with some sort of guru to transform his game. His shooting form isn't very traditional; that alone will prevent him from being a consistent shooter. He's been coached by the greatest leader the NBA has ever seen in Gregg Popovich. Pop emphasizes defense, yet he still can't really get that part of the game down.

If the belief is that San Antonio's best shot at a Sixth Man of the Year candidate is KJ, there's some serious work that needs to be done to change that. Hopefully, someone steps up and proves that the talent on the bench is worth more respect than what they're being given right now. It's not the award that matters. It's the recognition of the talent on the bench. That matters a lot.