Knowing that Hanlen has to at least partly understand this to be true, does that mean that we should have faith that his boasting will prove justified? Maybe. The guy has a pretty long NBA track record at this point -- although he's never worked with a player with issues like Fultz's, because no such player previously existed -- and from reports both partial and impartial collected by Philly Voice's Kyle Neubeck, Fultz's progress since working with Hanlen appears to be legitimately encouraging. What's more, Fultz himself seems newly self-confident, joking around at Summer League last week like a guy unafraid of his reception in the snarkier corners of the Internet. If, as Hanlen claimed in that same damn pod interview, it really was just a case of the yips initially plaguing Markelle, then maybe just getting him to believe the program is working is in itself a crucial part of the program actually working.

We won't know for sure until we know for sure, though, and in the meantime, the possibility of Hanlen just being a very aggressive salesperson is real and frightening. In a 2016 blog post for the Pure Sweat website entitled 10 Shooting Keys, Hanlen wrote that the tenth and final key to shooting is absolute confidence. "All great shooters KNOW they are going to knock the shot down before they shoot it," he offered. "If you are out there hoping your shots go in, you have no chance to consistently knock down Js!" It's plausible he may simply feel the same thing to be true of shooting coaches: That if you don't believe with all your heart that you can and will get the player you're training back where he needs to be, you're already doomed before you even start.

That'd be an understandable thought, and there may even be something to it -- particularly if his supreme belief really is inspiring newfound confidence in Fultz himself. But it all still comes down to whether or not it actually works out with Markelle next season, because if it doesn't, it'll be too late for Hanlen to walk back his earlier comments as motivational tactics. Because he's not just a trainer to Sixers fans at this point: He's a rainmaker, promising salvation in the midst of a tough offseason drought. And if he can't deliver, he should know to expect to be chased by angry Process townsfolk for the rest of his career.