in a way similiar don't mean exactly the same, maybe some skills are weigted another way for salary and potential.
I struggle to find a reason why you would value skills one way in constructing salary and a different way in determining potential. But there is little use arguing a topic neither of us can prove.
I just wanted to point out that potential is not determined by the arithmetic count of skill levels.
"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."