Let’s not bury the lead here. Tonight is more significant than a usual regular season game against a blatantly awful/tanking team that has no hope for immediate success, and very little long term future to brag about at the moment. Tonight is the return of Terrence Ross to Toronto, marking the first game he plays against the team that drafted him.
Terrence Ross spent his first 4.5 years with the Raptors and was the epitome of a trick-and-treat player. While he carries all the tools and athletic ability to be an elite player in the NBA, he rarely managed to put it all together at the same time. I even once called him the most frustrating player the Raptors have employed, and that is after the Andrea Bargnani years.
Despite all of that, Ross played the 9th most games in Raptors history to date (Jonas Valanciunas should pass him by the end of the season), hit the fourth most three pointers (1589), and he tied Vince Carter for the most points scored in a single game.
Terry’s 51 points was an improbable night, and it might as well be relived before he makes his return.
That video is majestic. It also fills me with fear for what might happen tonight. Ross is capable of going off when he is feeling it and given the opportunity, even though he hasn’t yet had a big breakout in Orlando.
Despite averaging almost 9 more minutes per game, Ross’ stats haven’t gotten the big bump that one might have expected. His per 100 possession numbers actually show a slight decrease in his production through his first 15 games in Orlando.
| Season | Tm | G | GS | MP | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | TOR | 54 | 0 | 1207 | 20.1 | .441 | 10.7 | .375 | 2.1 | .820 | 5.8 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 3.4 | 23.5 |
| 2016-17 | ORL | 15 | 15 | 470 | 17.9 | .420 | 8.9 | .333 | 1.9 | .833 | 5.2 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 4.2 | 19.6 |
His net rating has also plummeted from +4 with Toronto to -12 with Orlando, although this is likely the cause of simply playing with the Magic…because they are a tire fire.
The Magic are currently tied with the Knicks at a .370 win percentage, good for the fourth worst record in the league, and it’s always an embarrassment when you’re tied with the Kazoos. Since acquiring Ross though the Magic are 6-9, good for a slightly improved winning percentage of.400. It’s still terrible, but it’s at least an improvement of sorts.
What’s going to be very fascinating is the likely match-up of DeMar DeRozan vs Terrence Ross. Having spent four years as teammates, and many practices lined-up against one another, it will be a fascinating battle to watch. Ross is the type of wing that often has exploited DeRozan’s less than exceptional defence, as Ross can shoot on the move after running around a pick.
DeRozan meanwhile can force even the most locked in defender to jump at his assortment of moves. Is Ross accustomed enough to show restraint? Does DeRozan know the specific moves that Ross simply can’t stop? Does Ross jump at DeMar’s fakes or will he be better than most at staying grounded after years of practice?
DeMar vs Ross is enough entertainment to justify on its own, but the intrigue doesn’t end there.
Orlando started the season with a distinct goal of competing, despite one of the most poorly constructed rosters in the NBA. And while it is Ross’ first game playing his former teammates in Toronto, it is also Serge Ibaka’s first game against Orlando. While he spent just under 8 months with the Magic, by many accounts it wasn’t a very cheery experience for Serge (or the Magic for that matter).
Unlike Ross, Ibaka has once before played his previous team in the NBA, as the Magic faced the Oklahoma City Thunder in mid-November after trading him at the draft. Ibaka seemed to take it personally. He finished the game with 31 points on 13-of-19 shooting (2-for-2 from three), adding 9 rebounds, 4 blocks, and the game winning shot.
The Thunder likely provided a little more emotional engagement for Ibaka than a game against the Magic, but it will be more than fascinating to see how assertive Serge is against his former temporary home in Orlando.
Whatever happens tonight though, Ross deserves a round of applause from Raptor fans. He never quit even though his concentration waned at times, he willingly switched roles to fit team needs, and he clearly loved/valued his time in Toronto. Someone who speaks as highly of the Raptors and the city of Toronto as Ross (as evidenced by his article in the Player’s tribune, which is a must read for Raptor fans) deserves to be honoured upon their return. Toronto sits only one game back of the Wizards for third in the East, as both teams have 9 games remaining. With the tiebreaker in hand already, Toronto needs to win games such as this against the Magic if they intend to make a run at a top 3 seed.
I expect the Raptors to win rather handily, and I’ll predict a victory in the lines of 108-92. In that though, I hope that we get to see a show out of Ross tonight.
