A Slow-Starting Dyip: The Numbers Behind the Struggle

Four games into their schedule in the 2020 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup in Clark, the TerraFirma Dyip of CJ Perez hasn't won a single game. On Saturday, the Dyip lost to the NorthPort Batang Pier, 107-96, despite getting 25 points from Perez and 19 points from Roosevelt Adams who was the first pick in the 2019 PBA Rookie Draft. Ironically, most people thought that the Perez-Adams duo would make the Dyip a force to be reckoned with and yet, TerraFirma looked like they haven't figured it out. 

While CJ Perez is currently averaging a league-leading 25 points per game, he is shooting 20% from the three-point line. He shot one for four from three on Saturday. As a team, the Dyip are the sixth-highest scoring team with a 94-point per game average, and yet, they also have the third-worst scoring bench with a 37-point average. While TerraFirma is shooting 50% from the two-point area, they are also shooting 30% from the three-point area which is the third-worst in the PBA. They are also the worst free-throw shooting team in the league as they only make 60% of their attempts from the line. That number stooped down to 50% against the Batang Pier. 

One major problem that has been hampering CJ Perez and company is their inability to take control of the game right in the first quarter as they are averaging 19 points per game in the first quarter in their ongoing four-game slide.  Aside from their slow starts in games, they are also giving up 27 points per game in the fourth quarter including 33 points by NorthPort. 

If there's one good thing that TerraFirma has been doing so far, it's that they averaging 15 fastbreak points per game which is the best in the PBA right now. And, they are also averaging 21 points off turnovers. 

TerraFirma's schedule isn't going to get any easier as they are set to face the Alaska Aces on Tuesday. While Perez and Adams may appear to be a formidable one-two punch for Coach Johnedel Cardel, big adjustments are needed to be made if the Dyip want to avoid exiting the Clark bubble without a win.  

Photo is from the PBA