Terrence Ross: The Case For Keeping Him

By Joshua Howe | Feb 17, 2015

Jan 4, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Terrence Ross (31) against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Raptors 125-109. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

As we near the always important trade deadline, talks around the world have heated up concerning all sorts of players; ones that teams want to move, ones that they don’t. It’s an extremely popular (and fun) thing to debate what player your team should dump and which ones they should try to acquire.

For the Toronto Raptors, that player is Terrence Ross (and to a lesser extent Jonas Valanciunas), who has been under fire by fans and media pretty much since his rookie season. This season especially, his third in the league, has led people to start questioning whether he should be kept on the squad or not.

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It’s true, Ross has had some setbacks. His field goal and three-point shooting percentages have slipped from last season, and his defense has at times been putrid. His confidence levels have fluctuated in bizarre ways and thus his tendency to attack opposing defenses has been minimal.

Most apparent in Ross’ somewhat messy game is the fact that he often appears lost. His basketball IQ isn’t extraordinarily high. That said, you can’t say he doesn’t try on things like defense. He wants–especially since Dwane Casey has decided to bring him off the bench–to play well and give his team more.

Ross certainly understands he’s under scrutiny. That’s been evident in his game before, though how he’s handled it hasn’t always proved optimistic. He’s the sort of player who one night (or even for a quarter) can look fantastic, even at times unstoppable, and then fade into obscurity while only being noticed for his mistakes another night.

The Raptors are a young team with suddenly sky-high aspirations. They’re in a position now where the city and fans expect them to win in the regular season as well as in the playoffs. Some have already branded them title contenders.

And while expecting something like a single playoff series victory doesn’t seem like much, it sure does to some of the Raptors. Don’t forget that Ross looked completely overwhelmed in last season’s series versus Brooklyn, more so by his own nervousness than any of his actual opponents.

He is still just 24 years old (he just recently had his birthday), not yet in his prime. Masai Ujiri loves guys with high potential that can be groomed and grown into something spectacular. Just look at Toronto’s pick in the 2014 draft! Coming to the team, the Raps knew Ross would be a bit of a project, but his potential was tantalizing.

Three years may seem like a long time to us fans (indeed, LeBron James was on the way to his first title this time three years ago, the Celtics’ Big 3 was still together, etc.), but over the total length of a career those first three seasons can easily be lost and forgotten about.

There’s a reason you keep raw, young talent and hope that it will come to fruition. We can turn to the Pacers for an example of that.

Paul George wasn’t a hot commodity his first few years in the league. But the Pacers understood what they had and worked hard with him. He had lots of potential with a LeBron-esque frame, great athleticism and defensive smarts. And yet still he struggled to make himself pop during his early seasons.

Let’s take a look at Ross and George side-by-side during their first three seasons:

2010-11 George: 7.8ppg, 3.7rpg, 1.1apg, 45.3 FG%, 29.7 3FG%, 76.2 FT%, 20.7 minutes
2012-13 Ross: 6.4ppg, 2.0rpg, 0.7apg, 40.7 FG%, 33.2 3FG%, 71.4 FT%, 17.0 minutes

2013-14 Ross: 10.9ppg, 3.1rpg, 1.0apg, 42.3 FG%, 39.5 3FG%, 83.7 FT%, 26.7 minutes
2011-12 George: 12.1ppg, 5.6rpg, 2.4apg, 44.0 FG%, 38.5 3FG%, 80.2 FT%, 29.7 minutes

2014-15 Ross: 10.3ppg, 3.1rpg, 1.0apg, 41.4 FG%, 36.8 3FG%, 80.0 FT%, 25.7 minutes
2012-13 George: 17.4ppg, 7.6rpg, 4.1apg, 41.9 FG%, 36.2 3FG%, 80.7 FT%, 37.6 minutes

I chose to compare these two for a couple reasons. They’re close in age (George is also currently 24), their body types are similar, they play the same position and they both contain a lot of raw talent.

Now, George has obviously come into his own and proved that he deserved to be talked about as a star player last season. In his third season in the league, his game began to elevate, and then by his fourth it was skyrocketing.

While Ross hasn’t mirrored George in his third season so far, it’s no reason to quit on him. He’s still figuring things out, but all of the tools are there. He’s explosive, has a great stroke, has solid length and height for his position and gives reasonable effort. It’s now just about hewing the stone into a recognizable shape.

What we’ve heard of the Raptors putting Ross on the trade market has just been rumours, though I don’t doubt Masai Ujiri would trade him for the right price. Still, Toronto previously let loose the firm notion that they aren’t interested in dealing Ross because they still believe in being able to turn him into something great.

In the end, this becomes the age-old argument of potential versus win now. It’s tough with Toronto because they’re trying to do both simultaneously. They’re working on growing guys like Bruno Caboclo, Lucas Nugeira, Valanciunas and Ross, but also have postseason aspirations to chase after.

Maybe if Ross was a couple years older (say 26), we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. By then he might have figured it out and have become a solid role player at the very least. The Raptors don’t need him to morph into Paul George, but he has talent so similar that it’d be rather surprising if he didn’t end up an impact player on some level.

Let’s also remind ourselves that the Raptors are the second best team in the Eastern Conference right now with Ross on the roster. They’re doing all right. There have been lots of nights where Terrence has been as good as he has been bad. The flashes of what could be are there.

Who could forget the 51-point outburst that tied Vince Carter’s franchise record? That was only just last season!

Yes, Ross can be frustrating. His game needs work. But panicking and trading him before Thursday’s deadline would be a mistake; and that is not something at all that Masai’s known for. If the Toronto GM traded him now, he’d certainly be getting back less than he should be. Ross’ trade value is probably at its lowest at this point.

Holding on to him could change that. If the plan is to move Ross, doing it before the deadline would be a poor idea with how he’s perceived around the league right now. Keeping him would inevitably result in him getting better as he ages and would thus mean better offers. Can he really take a severe drop from where he is now? Doubtful.

T-Ross might not ultimately be the wing of the Raptors’ future. Or, he might be. Keeping him can only mean his trade value will go up for future (and better) deals, just as much as it means that he could turn into the player the club and fans want him to be right now.

In the end, all arrows point to one answer. So don’t be surprised if come Friday morning, Ross is still very much a part of the Raptors’ present, just as he could be the future.

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