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Has Terrence Ross played his last game as a Raptor?

By Brian Boake

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As we survey the wreckage of the Toronto Raptors’ disastrous post-season, one of the many questions we’re going to be exploring here at Rapture HQ is who (if anyone) should be traded. Let’s get this party started with an obvious candidate for movin’ on: Terrence Ross, the Designated Disappointment.

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TRoss was drafted in 2012 with the #8 pick, which turned out to be the last first-rounder Bryan Colangelo would ever select as Toronto’s big kahuna. The selection was a surprise, as Ross was expected to be a mid-teens choice, and monster rebounder Andre Drummond was still on the board. [20-second timeout: the Detroit Pistons grabbed Andre next, and are still waiting for him to lead them to the Promised Land, or at least a playoff appearance. While most NBA observers would say the Pistons got lucky, I’m not so sure.] This isn’t the post to comment on TRoss’ accomplishments in detail; suffice it to say he’s shown flashes of amazing athleticism and long stretches of invisibility.

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Apr 24, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) and Toronto Raptors forward Terrence Ross (31) battle for a loose ball in the first quarter in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Can he be traded? Certainly – by league standards he’s cheap, and his potential is self-evident. There aren’t many coaches who would turn down the chance to mould TRoss into the player we all think he can be. But what is his ceiling? Are we seeing it already?

“Potential gets coaches fired” – Sam Mitchell, ex-Raptors head coach

Terrence is 24, and that’s not young by NBA standards. After regressing this season, there’s a case to be made for saying he’s never going to find the internal switch he and Toronto fans are desperately searching for. However, I’m convinced he’s not being used correctly, particularly on offense. Seeing a speedy, wiry man like him standing in the corner for possession after possession could drive a fan to drink. On D, he gets beat a lot, but usually draws the toughest assignments. He hasn’t had the benefit of a sterling supporting cast behind him either, so gets little help.

Enough excuses – TRoss has simply never risen to the occasion. His 3-point shooting comes and goes, although his career mark from beyond the arc is 37.3%, which is more than respectable. Terrence has an aversion to contact, which is why he’s taken fewer than 1 free throw (0.8, for you precision types) per game in his career. That’s an embarrassingly low number for a mobile swingman averaging 23.3 minutes. I’m baffled by his inability to cash in on broken floor opportunities, and by the number of times his shot is blocked.

There’s more to consider, but that’s a broad picture sufficient for our purposes.

CONCLUSION

TRoss’ contract should be extended. He’s not going to command big dollars, and there’s no one else on the roster who can provide 3-&-D like he can (that’s damning with faint praise, I know). While it’s possible there’s a GM or two who will make Masai a tasty offer in the summer, I’d suggest giving TRoss the first half of next season to make a significant leap in performance. If that doesn’t happen, trading him before the deadline would be the right thing to do, for both player and team.

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