Terrence Ross is coming off the back of his best season as a pro, could he be this year's Sixth Man of the Year?
Terrence Ross is one of my guys, there I said it. Probably not the best way to open up one of these profiles, just letting you know that I do have a really strong liking for Ross.
Ross was drafted with the 8th pick back in the 2012 draft by the Raptors. He played in a total of 73 games that year, but only started twice. In his rookie season he would only see an average of 17 minutes a night, however, this didn’t stop him from showing what kind of a versatile offensive threat he was. He would have a 26-point game, in which he drained six of nine from downtown, and only a month later he was crowned the Dunk Contest champion.
The following season it didn’t take long for Ross to show Coach Casey enough to warrant a spot in the starting five. Following the departure of Rudy Gay, by way of trade in December 2013, Ross started every remaining game for the Raptors. This included a historical night in which Terrence Ross scored 51 points in a loss to the Clippers.
This is his stat-line for the game, in all its glory. A few notes to go with the stats: Career high in threes made, tied Vince Carter’s Franchise record for points in a game and, became the first player in NBA history to score a 50 point game while averaging less than 10ppg (he was at 9.3ppg when the game started). Ross was the starter for the remainder of the season. The Raptors record following the Gay trade was 42-22 and it was enough to get them a playoff berth. The Raptors would lose in seven games to the Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce led Brooklyn Nets.
The following year Ross was ever-present for the Raps, playing in every game regular season and playoff game. He took about a month out of the starting line-up during the end of January and through February, as free agent James Johnson took some time in the starting five. By March Ross would be back in the starting line-up for the rest of the season and playoffs. The Raptors playoff woes continued, as they were served their second straight 1st round exit this time at the hands of the Washington Wizards, in an embarrassing sweep.
in the following season the Raptors would add DeMarre Carrol in free agency, thus moving Ross back to the bench as an option to play SF or SG depending on what the game called for. Ross was a bench spark plug for the Raps that season as they won more than 50 games for the first time in franchise history. In the 2016 playoffs the Raps avoided being knocked out in the first round, beating Indiana in round one and then Miami in round two; both of which went seven. They found themselves in the Conference Finals for the first time in their history, and unfortunately for them they would be knocked out by Lebron and the eventual champion Cavs. Ross saw his minutes drop in the opening series against Indiana, but Coach Casey obviously had a plan, as his minutes shot back up against the Heat. He rewarded Casey by popping for 19 points in game one and 14 points in game five.
The Raptors came back the following year with title aspirations and a plan to re-tool their squad. With the Raptors depth on the wing, our guy T-Ross was shipped off to Orlando with a 1st round pick and the Raps received Serge Ibaka (this would potentially be a great trade for both teams, if the Magic didn’t waste the pick).
Ross was an instant starter for the remainder of the season in Orlando. He suffered a season ending MCL sprain and fracture in his leg in November of 2017. Ross would be back and ready to go for the 2018-19 season in hopes of completing his first full season with the Magic.
Ross would be utilized exclusively from the bench this year, missing only one game. As you can see Ross had a career year across the board in this role. In my opinion it’s the role he was born to play. Now he has been a guy coming off the bench before, and not had this kind of success before. So, what changed? Well Ross was used like a shot of adrenaline to the Orlando offense when entered the game. He was given a green light to let his offensive versatility and shot creation show. Last year Ross had the second highest usage rate on the Magic behind only Nikola Vucevic (who was an All Star). For those not familiar with Usage Percent, it’s calculated by how often the team plays through them while they are on the floor. Ross’s usage illustrates that he was the lead bench player but also heavily utilized on the floor with the starters. Ross is at his most deadly when he do is thing in my opinion is how to get the most from him. On offense he has the capabilities to score from almost anywhere. A former dunk champ who just last year threw down a nasty reverse windmill in a game:
To go with that dunking ability, his excellent body control gives him dynamic moves while attacking not afraid of double clutching it or using a floater. Where T-Ross really separates himself from most is how skilled he is at hitting dribble pull-ups.
You won’t find an UFA that doesn’t command a max deal that has more offensive floor coverage at these kinds of shooting percentages. However, Ross isn’t what I would call a good defender. He’s not terrible but he's also not someone other teams will hunt in the playoffs. Ross did find himself third on the Magic for pass deflections behind only Isaac and Vucevic. (Vuc played considerably more minutes and only beat Ross by 0.1) If I had been in a front office this year he would have been a name I was throwing out.
Fit: Ross ended up re-signing with the Magic and I can't say I'm surprised. He had a really nice year and he is playing the role he was born to play (walking bucket being that role). I also think he can be a really nice "ying" to the the Magics many longer less agile player "yang". I'll go out on a limb and say he's my pick for 2019-20 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.
Summary: Nicknamed the Human Torch for a reason, this guy is a walking bucket. For some reason through all of this I have wanted to compare him to Sweet Lou Williams, he is different, but I think he is best used in a similar fashion. If used in the right team and situation he could be lethal. That role is one he had in Orlando last year, offensive spark plug that is given license to shoot his shots while he is on the floor. This isn’t to say that Ross is an out of control, wild player, more that he is an agent of chaos, he thrives in it. This is a guy that can win you playoff games by having 25 off the pine. Price tag may be too high for playoff teams, or Orlando may offer him a really nice offer after a great year. Either way, I wholeheartedly recommend you watch more of the Human Torch, wherever he is next year.
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Cover via www.orlandomagicdaily.com
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