You can’t watch a Los Angeles Clippers broadcast of a game between them and the Raptors without hearing a reference to the night Terrence Ross tried to almost singlehandedly claw out a victory for the home squad. As we approach the 3-year anniversary of Terry, sans headband, tying Vince Carter’s franchise record for points in a game, it seems fitting to look back at how that game framed the career of the enigmatic Ross. That game shaped the way he’s seen, both among media and fans, and unless he finds a way to break out as a star in this league, that performance will always be mentioned in any conversation about his career. Look at any list of ‘unexpected scoring outbursts’, and his name won’t be far away.
When he was drafted 8th overall in the 2012 draft, many fans were upset that it wasn’t Andre Drummond, after the team missed out by a pick on grabbing Harrison Barnes, who most thought was the natural fit beside DeMar DeRozan. The team decided to go with Ross, liking his athleticism and upside, and not wanting Drummond with Jonas Valanciunas, the previous year’s pick, coming over from Lithuania that summer. The talent was tantalizing, a quick wing with a beautiful shooting stroke, easy athleticism and who showed signs of good defensive instincts.
That game, on January 25th, 2014, felt like the fulfillment of all that promise. The shooting stroke provided the bulk of the scoring, going 10 for 17 from long range, with a couple drives, a huge put-back dunk, and some free throws filling out the scoring column to go with the 8 rebounds Ross grabbed. He took over the game and electrified the crowd, and despite the loss, it was hard to walk away from that game without being at least somewhat excited about what the Raptors had developing in Ross. Some scoring outbursts feel like complete chance and circumstance, nothing more than a player having a night their skills say they shouldn’t. That game didn’t feel like that, it felt like something that was fully within his capabilities, like the talent was always there and just needed the chance and confidence to want it.
Fast forward to this past summer, two and a half seasons later, most of which Ross spent as the starting small forward beside DeRozan, and despite some positives, with Ross established as one of the best catch and shoot wings in the league, it still felt like he hadn’t found that form he had against the Clippers that night. He’d shown signs, spectacular breakaway dunks and awesome shooting displays. Nights where he’d frustrate opposing ball handlers with impressive defense. But then he’d go cold for stretches of games from the floor, and he’d look disinterested and disengaged, not moving on offense without the ball, and dying on screens defensively, and the calls from fans for the team to move on kept getting louder. Despite the protestations of the fans, General Manager Masai Ujiri signed Ross to a 3-year extension last season worth $33 million early in the year, with Ross struggling both to find his shot and a role on the team having been sent back to the bench.
After returning from a November injury, Terry started to find a role on the team, filling in on the starting lineup during a December injury to DeMarre Carroll and playing solid basketball in that role, with the starting lineup featuring both Ross and Bismack Biyombo posting the best net rating of any starting group the team used during the regular season. Sent back to the bench when Carroll returned(where he would stay as James Johnson and then Norman Powell would jump past him when Carroll missed more games), Ross became the Raptors’ scoring punch off the pine, and was a big part of the team’s Lowry and the bench unit that won them many second and fourth quarters through their 11-game winning streak in January and as the season rode on.
Although Ross has taken another step forward this season, in terms of consistency and confidence on both ends of the floor, that night still stands as the singular instance of him putting together his talents, showing the offensive repertoire that he has in full force. He wasn’t ready to be that player at that point in his career, and might never get there. However, what Terrence Ross has become is a very useful player, a great 6th man for a very good team, and one of the leaders of one of the top benches in the league. His scoring and energy have been a big part of what’s made the team successful this year, and, at least on some level, that ought to feel like enough for a team that already boasts two All-Stars. For many Raptors fans, it still feels like a let-down though, still feels like we should have more from Ross.
It would be easy to simply blame the player for all of the shortcomings, and he’s certainly not faultless, as despite his improvements he still has lapses that defy explanation and nights when he just doesn’t look as comfortable or confident as a player of his experience should. The team, as well, hasn’t built an offense to optimize his talents(not that you’d build an offense around Ross, he hasn’t proven to be that level of talent). On a team which created more catch and shoot opportunities and had more ball movement, he might prove a more effective player, and you could even argue he’d be more engaged with more touches. But a good player should find a way to be good regardless of situation or circumstance, so it’d be remiss to simply blame the team.
So we’re left with the player he is, a very good bench player and a solid 6th man, and the player he showed us against the Clippers, and the gap in between is the source of most of the frustration, because we continue to look at who he isn’t and we thought he could be, rather than who he’s become. If that night had never happened, would we see him differently? Would we see a player who tried, but didn’t work as a starter, then became an effective bench player? Would we be able to appreciate the flashes of brilliance and the nights when he’s a huge part of wins for the team, instead of just wanting more?
Terrence Ross might never be a completely consistent player. Part of that is the nature of his game, the three-point shot is a high-variance by nature, and no volume shooter doesn’t have cold stretches from time to time. Part of that is that he’s not a star, he’s a role player, and being inconsistent is what separates stars from role players to a large extent. It would be fun to make the case for Ross being capable of being the third star that the Raptors need, but he’s not that player right now, and it certainly can’t be assumed he’ll get there. A case can be made that it’s impossible to not view Ross through the lens of that game, but maybe we need to find a way to appreciate who he is, despite who he isn’t and might never be.
