There are things and people in the world where it is tough to stay rational about. Whether this is due to a general public perception that impacts the way in which something/someone is viewed, or by built in biases that come from the core of the observer. We see it present in every area of life, including the world of sports.
Terrence Ross is one of these people for me, as he is for many Raptors fans and general NBA fans.
What makes Ross even more difficult for me is that I’m not irrationally solid in my opinions of him. I’m an irrational waverer, if there is such a thing. Sure, I may not be as consistently inconsistent in regards to Ross as William Lou is, but I usually find myself on one of the far extremes.
I either love Ross and believe in him fully, or hate everything that he seemingly stands for on a basketball court. There is very little middle ground.
It’s this exact thing that caused me to create the Terrence Ross Belief Chart prior to the 2015-16 season. Here’s what it looked like at the time:
Yes, this was mostly intended as a joke about my thoughts on Ross and my own inability to stay consistent. In reality though it just meant that I didn’t believe in Ross, and wasn’t yet ready to let my guard down and get my hopes up.
Fast forward 14 months and Ross looks like player reborn, and I find myself once again trying to evaluate Ross as a player.
There are positive questions to be asked: Does his early season success reveal an improved player? Can he be relied upon to be consistent? Does he factor into the present/future core of the Raptors? How did Masai Ujiri get him to sign such a bargain of a contract? Could he be a starter if there wasn’t an incumbent starter/All-Star in front of him? Can we actually live in a world where Terrence Ross joins the 50-40-90 shooting club (he is currently very close at 49.3% from the field, 42.9% from three, and 94.7% from the free throw line)?
And there are negative questions that seemingly must be asked too: Can we actually believe that Ross can maintain this type of production? Is this only a hot spell? Can he actually sustain this type of mental focus after so many years of not being able to do so?
All of the answers to these questions, and even the questions themselves, are routed in one thing: how much do you believe in Terrence Ross?
His place to date this season has felt like a revelation. While Cory Joseph struggled to find his footing early in the season, it was Ross who helped stabilize the bench. While DeMarre Carroll continues to round into form and good health, it has been Ross who provided a consistent presence on the wing. While Patrick Patterson struggled to find his three point shot (along with most of the team), it was Terrence Ross who shouldered the load in stretching the floor.
Simply put, Terrence Ross has been the Raptors most consistent bench presence this season. Who on earth saw that one coming?
At the time he signed his contract extension, most saw it as an early indication of the wild contracts that would be handed out in the summer of 2016, and some saw it simply as an overpay. Now, he looks like he could be an incredible bargain just 18 games into the first year of a three year, $31M contract.
Of players who have primarily come off the bench this season (started in 7 games or less), Ross is currently top 10 in PER, steal percentage, and offensive rating. This top 10 group stretches into additional groups if you exclude front court players. In that case Ross is then top 10 in Effective Field Goal Percentage, True Shooting Percentage, Win Shares, and Points Per Game (despite being 36th in minutes per game of this group).
Ross has been efficient, confident, and collected. When he catches it after running around a screen he doesn’t hesitate in his decision making and knows what he is planning to do, either letting it fly or using the threat of his shot to create a better opportunity. Just look at his shot chart right now:
The point of all of this is that I still don’t know what to make of Terrence Ross. He has made himself into an important player for Toronto this season and has a particular skill that they desperately need (shooting), but he also remains their most likely trade piece if the team looks to upgrade at another position.
His relatively large contract allows for several ways to match incoming salary, but isn’t too big to have to bring back a bad contract. Teams are also looking for players who can create from the wing, and despite his reputation Ross has been doing just that this season (he shoots 39.2% on catch-and-shoot threes, and 60% on pull up threes…the latter of which certainly feels 100% unsustainable).
Any big deal the Raptors look to make will almost certainly need to include Ross, even if simply from an economic standpoint. The Raptors also now, as strange as it feels to say, are surprisingly loaded on the wings. With DeMarre, DeMar, Powell, and Joseph (And Bruno possibly Delon Wright due to his size) all able to see minutes on the wing, Ross is in part a luxury at the moment.
We are also just a month away the Oklahoma City Thunder trading a first round pick (top 20 protected in 2020) for Jerami Grant. If Ross continues his current play, it’s easy to imagine him being in high demand by teams needing wing contribution.
With all that said though, I’ve actually reached the point where I can now, somewhat reluctantly, label myself a Ross supporter. This feels like a confession of sorts, but I’m in on Ross. I may even be living on Ross Island now. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to fully embrace him, but I’m closer than I’ve ever been.
Terrence Ross has been lots of fun this season, and his positives greatly outweigh his negatives at the moment. I will even pause for a moment of sadness if a day comes that he is announced in a trade.
Who saw that coming? I know I sure didn’t.
