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Doug McSchooler/Associated Press

LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs

Contract Details: 3 years, $72.3 million ($7 million guaranteed in 2020-21)

2018-19 Salary: $22.3 million

This one stings. LaMarcus Aldridge ferried the Spurs to 47 victories and a playoff berth last season while grinding his way into the fringe-MVP discussion. Appearing here merely months later takes an uncomfortable admission of regression.

The degree of difficulty on Aldridge's scoring opportunities is finally catching up with him. Almost two-thirds of his looks came when a defender was inside four feet of him last season—attempts on which he shot 57.7 percent.

Fewer of his buckets are getting contested this year, but he's still working hard for his points. About 60 percent of his looks come when a defender is within four feet, and his accuracy in these situations has ducked below 44 percent.

Aldridge's trusty turnaround fadeaway is even failing him. He's shooting a combined 39.2 percent on his trademark looks, down from 46.2 percent in 2017-18.

Cramped spacing is no doubt a culprit. The Spurs are third in three-point success rate but rank 28th in attempts per 100 possessions. DeMar DeRozan has helped alleviate Aldridge's workload without making his job any easier. He's shooting better with DeRozan on the court, but defenses can more freely double-team him so long as San Antonio is averse to jacking up the three-point volume.

Aldridge's slump doesn't have to be permanent. He's no stranger to jumping through hoops for his points. He's also 33. He may well need more firepower around him to optimize his shot-making.

Gordon Hayward, Boston Celtics

Contract Details: 3 years, $98.1 million (player option in 2020-21)

2018-19 Salary: $31.2 million

Gordon Hayward doesn't get a reprieve after missing basically all of 2017-18—not at this season's quarter-pole. He still looks out of sorts. Defenses are targeting him in pick-and-rolls, and he's not as aggressive handling the ball.

Moving him to the bench has not incited a renaissance. The Celtics are outscoring opponents by more than 10 points per 100 possessions with him on the court since the swap, but his shooting percentages continue to seesaw, and we're dealing with a sub-110-minute sample size versus non-powerhouses.

Boston's entire offense is prone to fits and starts. Only the Bulls, Magic, Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns are scoring fewer points per 100 possessions on the season, and the Celtics have not been much better over their past 10 games.

Like the rest of his team, Hayward deserves time. His pay grade is not a lost cause when looking at the bigger picture, into 2019-20 and beyond. This season, though? Yeah, it might be.

Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves

Contract Details: 5 years, $147.7 million

2018-19 Salary: $25.5 million

Some would be reluctant to include Andrew Wiggins in this exercise at all. People have already given up on him in abundance. But this is the first year of his max deal. Expectations live on for at least that long.

Beyond that? Well, it doesn't look good.

Jimmy Butler's departure has not unleashed Wiggins. He's slashing 33.3/32.4/63.6 since the trade, including an 0-of-12 clunker against the Bulls—the Bulls!—on Nov. 24.

Searching for silver linings is futile. Wiggins is shooting a career low around the rim and under 35 percent on wide-open threes. He's been relatively efficient off the catch, but the Timberwolves need to expand his pull-up volume following Butler's exit. That's not going to end well.

Keeping Wiggins' from-scratch touches where they are wouldn't even be a source of comfort. Among the 101 players who have appeared in at least three games and are averaging three or more pull-up attempts, his effective field-goal percentage (28.6) ranks 99th.

Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of NBA.com or Basketball Reference and accurate leading into games on Nov. 26. Salary and cap-hold information via Basketball Insiders and RealGM.

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale) and listen to his Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by B/R's Andrew Bailey.