Looks like Terrence Ross is staying put.
Despite various reports of teams inquiring about Terrence Ross, Raptors GM Masai Ujiri could not have been more clear about his commitment to building towards the future.
In an interview with Michael Grange of Sportsnet, Ujiri spoke glowingly of Ross.
“I would be shocked if we did something with Terrence,” Ujiri said Tuesday night. “Trust me. I can’t tell you more how I totally don’t think that would happen before Thursday.”
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“How many guys on our team can raise up and make a shot with someone in their face, like Terrence? They aren’t many in the league,” said Ujiri. “He’s had lapses on defence but that’s something you grow out of with experience. He is really a two-way player; he has ability to stay in front of guys, he can hit a shot; he’s athletic as hell and he can hit threes. Every team is looking for players like that.
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“We’re trying to get those kinds of players. We’re trying to develop Bruno [Caboclo] to be a defender, a three-point shooter and athletic and look how long it’s going to take to get him to be half of what Terrence is?”
Ross’s struggles have been discussed ad nauseum here on Raptors Republic. The third-year swingman has largely failed to show much by way of improvement and his inconsistency has been frustrating. Ross still has many of the same weaknesses he exhibited during his first season in the NBA. He still can’t do much off the dribble (save for pulling up) and is shy of taking physical contact.
Related: Why the Raptors shouldn’t trade Terrence Ross
But Ujiri has a good point with Ross, in that he has skills that are often overlooked. Ross has shown that he can be a good 3-point shooter (38.4 percent over the last two seasons) and his quickness has been a useful deterrent against quick guards along the perimeter. He already possesses several tangible and useful skills which makes him an immediate asset, before factoring in his age (23) and athleticism. There’s a lot that Ross offers.
Furthermore, Ujiri also dropped some hints as to what his game-plan is heading into the trade deadline.
“We’re a young, good team. I don’t think we’re that great of a team, but we’re learning how to play and how to win so we have to give them that opportunity,” said Ujiri. “Do we have holes? Yes, but I don’t think now is the time to get desperate to fill them.
“We’re second in the East, we’re 19 games above .500. That’s not too shabby.”
Looks like Ross and the Raptors will largely stand pat. They’ll dance with the date they came with.
