The expectations that MPJ had when he got his contract was that hed be able to develope into a superstar or at least a top tier player to help Jokic win.
Nah, the expectation was that Denver wouldn’t attract stars anyway so might as well max him and pay tax if need be, which was the only penalty at the time. The 2nd apron changed things significantly.
MPJ’s development curve was above reasonable expectations, not below them. If they expected him to become a genuine shot creator the FO was actually brain dead, which is one of only two realistic pathways for him to be a star. The other would be top tier defense, where he already improved way more than you would expect at the time but he’s still around average (from a big liability at the time of the extension).
Essentially, it would take multiple miracles for him to be worth the max. One of them happened too, which is health lmao. But he’d need some more. But him being worth the contract was significantly less relevant when they signed it than it is now
It’s a bit different from Maxey though, as in his case it was pretty much certain that the Sixers would max him in the following year. I’m not sure Houston has given Sengun similar assurances