Is Terrence Ross currently mired in what NBA insiders accurately call the “Post-Contract Slump of Badness” (PCSOB)? Last year was a contract year for Ross, so naturally he played as well as he was physically able to play. Now he’s, as the kids say, “got the bag” in the form of a four-year contract which pays him thirteen million per year for the duration, so there’s not as much incentive to play well. Especially on a team whose realistic ceiling going into the season was probably the sixth seed in the East.
PCSOB is a real thing. Tons of players get their payday and then, lacking external motivators, subtly get worse at everything. In Ross’ case, he’s allowed his field goal percentage to drop below 40% thanks mostly due to a precipitous six-percentage-point drop in three-point percentage from last year (38%) to this year (32%). Basically, he’s become just another chucking guard off the bench whose positive contribution to winning basketball is in doubt.
I wish I could get PCSOB. How many dollars per month of Patreon donations would I have to pull in before I started slacking? $200? $500? I bet it’s $500. Everybody should band together to start testing this theory (https://www.patreon.com/downtobuck). It’s not a perfect analogue to Ross’ situation because Patreon donations are non-guaranteed (unlike fully-guaranteed NBA contracts) but this is still a theory worth testing. Please help me test it by donating. https://www.patreon.com/downtobuck. Did you get the link yet? https://www.patreon.com/downtobuck
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