He was much better or at least noticeably better at man-to-man defense last year. He never looked to be really soft, but now it really does seem like he purposely avoids contact, maybe it's something mental, but I'm no sports psychologist.
The lack of improvement is definitely a concern, but even last year's Ross was a better player than this year's. Maybe this just isn't the right team or the right coaching staff, but I really do believe that there's room for him to grow.