Despite a difficult playoff run leaving a bitter taste in some Raptors’ fans mouths (that steal, though), Terrence Ross’ sophomore campaign represented an important leap for the 23 year old. Statistical gains across the board were the important, yet silent markers, but it was the more trivial ones that earned him a place in Raptor lore.
What remains to be seen, though, is how we will remember Terrence Ross. Will it be as a 51-point scoring/slam dunk contest winning/Kenneth Faried life-ending highlight factory? Or as a key cog in a young, talented Raptors team that went to heights the franchise has never seen before?
It’s an interesting question, and the one that ultimately divides Raptor fans’ discussions of Ross: yes, he’s only 23, but is what we’ve seen – perhaps a more polished, less mistake-prone version – what we’ve got? Or is there still a switch to flip that will allow T-Dot Flight 31 (and the Raptors, by extension) to soar to even greater heights?
Everyone’s got an opinion – but this year, we’re bound to get some answers. On a team that is largely relying on internal improvement to jump to the next level, perhaps nobody on the roster this season outside of Jonas Valanciunas has more to offer in that respect than Ross.
2013-14 Stats Recap:
Regular Season:
- PPG: Increased to 10.9 points (from 6.4)
- Field Goal Percentage: Increased to .423 (from .407)
- 3 Point Percentage: Increased to .395 (from .332)
- Rebounds Per Game: Increased to 3.1 (from 2.0)
- Assists Per Game: Increased to 1.0 (from 0.7)
- Minutes: Increased to 26.7 (from 17)
Post Season:
- Averaged 5/2/0.3 in 22.6 minutes per game, on .298 shooting and .167 (yuck) 3 point shooting.
Highlights:
- THE GAME
- THE DUNK
- THE STEAL
- THE OTHER DUNKS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzJyJMhUITs
Strengths:
At the moment, Ross’ strengths lie mostly in his offensive game – specifically, his 3 point shooting, which squeaked up near 40% last season, a solid mark for a “3 and D” swingman. Ross benefited greatly from Kyle Lowry and DeMar’s drive-heavy offence by making sagging defences pay near the line at a clip much closer to what fans expected following his selection than we saw in his rookie season. His place on opposing teams’ scouting reports likely still consists of three point shooting and dunking, but role players in the NBA don’t need to be all things to all people, and the fact that Ross was a consistent offensive performer – as opposed to his rookie season, where his minutes fluctuated due to a logjam at the position, inconsistent play and some odd substitution patterns – meant a great deal to a Raptors squad that saw its offensive identity evolve to finding open shooters on the perimeter.
Ross hasn’t quite evolved defensively the way many fans would like yet, and still has trouble with larger wings – as evidenced by his supreme difficulties with Joe Johnson in the playoffs – but his efforts on that end were markedly better than his rookie year, particularly in team situations. It was nice to not see him being blown by effortlessly every other game like we did the year before, and being able to be a net-zero on that side of the ball was enough to make him a significant positive factor on a nightly basis.
Areas to improve:
Being passible on the defensive side of the floor, though, is not what the Super Saiyan version of this Raptors squad needs Ross to be. As constructed last year, the team had significant difficulties with larger wing players, and the best possible outcome for the Raps is for Ross to evolve enough to fill the void. The team signed James Johnson in the offseason to provide some support – a player who should be an offensive upgrade from the Salmons/Fields combo we saw last year – but will still be significantly less dynamic on the offensive end than Ross. If Ross can play well enough defensively to stay on the court for real starters’ minutes (30+ per game), and if he can evolve to a point where he’s a net positive on D, the sky’s not only the limit for him, but the Raptors, too.
Offensively, Ross has carved out a nice niche for himself as a 3-point bomber, but it’s always aggravating to see him refuse to drive the ball given his athleticism (he shot 82 free throws last season, as many as Draymond Green and one less than Omri Casspi). Mixing things up on the offensive end could not only lead to more efficiency, but also a more difficult check for opponents, allowing Ross to more easily evolve into a legitimate third scoring option behind Lowry and DeRozan.
2014-15 Outlook:
Look, here’s the thing: Terrence Ross is really young, and for someone who made such strides from year one to two, it’s hard to not see him improving again this year. It may remain to be seen whether we will remember him most for his on-court play or for his YouTube reel, but any player with a 51-point game has already established himself as more than just a replacement-level wing.
Regardless, though, for this team to succeed, Ross only has to be the fourth or fifth best starter on the Raptors any given night. It may be a hedge, but in lieu of any specific individual predictions, I’ll say that the amount of minutes Ross earns this season – and those will come based on his man-to-man defensive prowess – will serve as a strong barometer for the team’s improvement as a whole. If he is who we saw last season, this team’s ceiling, while still high, is considerably lower than if he’s able to take the final step towards becoming a complete two-way player. If he can, though, who knows?
(And I mean, if he can’t, there’s still the 51-point game, Slam Dunk Contest, and Faried-ening. Man, I can’t wait for the season.)
