NBA's top-paid players are really hard to understand. They start to perform poorly and their stats keep dropping. The key is that they are making so much money but still playing so badly. It makes fans afraid to watch games, for fear that their favorite stars will collapse again.
George this season is really unbearable to watch, averaging only 16.5 points, which can't even beat a rookie. He is supposed to be an All-Star level small forward, but his shooting percentage has dropped to 41.5%, and his three-point shooting is only 32.8%. These stats are worlds apart from last season.
The most outrageous thing is that in 21 games, he had 12 games with a shooting percentage below 40%. This level of performance is just that of a substitute player, yet he is paid the top salary in the league. This money is really not worth it.
Williams, the rookie, averages 21 points and has a higher shooting efficiency than George. The key is that his salary is only one-ninth of George's. This comparison is really painful to see.
VanVleet on the Rockets also has a lot to say about his performance, averaging 15 points and 6 assists, which looks pretty average. His shooting percentage has dropped to 37.5%, and his three-point shooting has set a new career low.
In 31 games, he had 10 games with a shooting percentage below 30%, and another 8 games with a shooting percentage below 40%. This level of performance really doesn't match his top salary contract.
What's most frustrating is that he also had 8 games where he couldn't even score in double digits, with the worst game being only 2 points. If this performance were on another team, he would probably have been benched already.
James, although he is getting older, his performance this season is indeed not good enough. Averaging 23.4 points is indeed not bad, but his efficiency has clearly dropped a lot, and he hasn't made a single three-pointer in four consecutive games.
His offensive efficiency ranks 177th in the league, and his defensive efficiency has dropped to 227th. These stats are indeed questionable when placed on James, considering he is the 14th highest-paid player in the league.
Looking at these recent games, James' state is indeed not stable. Sometimes he can play efficiently, but more often he is just coasting on the court. This kind of performance does disappoint many fans.
Adebayo's performance on the Heat is also confusing, averaging 16.4 points and 9.9 rebounds, which is significantly less than last season, and his shooting percentage has dropped from 52.1% to 45%.
As an interior player, having such a low shooting percentage is indeed questionable, and even his free throw percentage has dropped from 75.5% to 71.7%. This kind of performance is indeed speechless.
In 31 games, he had 12 games with a shooting percentage below 40%. This efficiency is indeed too low for an interior player. If the Heat want to achieve something in the East, Adebayo must improve his efficiency.
Haliburton's performance this season is indeed disappointing, going from last season's assist leader to what he is now, averaging 17.6 points and 8.6 assists, which is not impressive.
What's most speechless is his poor performances, with 12 out of 30 games having a shooting percentage below 40%, including 6 games below 30%. This kind of performance indeed doesn't match his $42 million top salary contract.
Against the Knicks, he went 0-for-8 in shooting, and against the Thunder, he went 2-for-6. This kind of performance is indeed unacceptable for a top-paid point guard. No wonder he can't even make the All-Star team now.
Curry this season is really unstable, averaging 22 points and 6.4 assists, which looks okay, but his efficiency has indeed dropped a lot, and turnovers have increased.
The most outrageous thing is his poor performances, scoring only 2 points in 7 attempts against the Grizzlies, and only 11 points in 14 attempts against the Cavaliers. This kind of performance indeed doesn't match the highest-paid player in the league.
The current Curry is indeed not as stable as before, often playing like a god in one game and a ghost in the next. This kind of performance does make the Warriors suffer, after all, they have invested so much salary space.
Markkanen's performance on the Jazz is also confusing, averaging 19.6 points and 6.3 rebounds, which is significantly worse than last season, and his shooting percentage is only 43.9%.
In 26 games, he had 12 games with a shooting percentage below 40%. This kind of performance is indeed speechless, and the Jazz gave him a $42 million contract, only to get this kind of performance.
The current Markkanen is indeed not as good as last season, with all his stats declining. This kind of performance does make the Jazz suffer, after all, they have invested so much salary space.