By: Greg Uratsu

Thursday Bio: Terrence Ross

College:  University of Washington

Ross was the 30^th ranked recruit nationally by ESPN

Freshman Year:  Ross came off the bench during his freshman year.  Ross earned honorable mention Pac-10 All-Freshman team honors after averaging 8.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 34 games.  He was named to the Pac-10 All-Tournament team after averaging 15.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in the 2011 Pac-10 Tournament.  As impressive as Ross was during his freshman year, there were concerns about his shot selection.  Improved ball handling would help in getting separation from his defender and creating higher-percentage shots.  His 1.7 free-throw attempts per 40 minutes pace can be improved with another year of collegiate basketball.

Sophomore Year:  Ross earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors after averaging 16.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 steals in 35 games. He helped Washington reach the semi-finals of the 2012 National Invitation Tournament averaging 25.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.  His ball handing still needs improvement since he creates space from spin moves and speed that may not be as much of an advantage in the NBA as in the NCAA.  Even so, Ross improved tremendously during his sophomore year – mostly on the defensive side of the ball.  His length, athleticism, and ability to move his feet to stay in front of his man makes him an absolute disruptive force.  In addition, Ross was able to improve his free-throws per game from 1.7 to 2.6 (per 40 minute pace).   By showing growth in his overall game and once again showing off his great athleticism, size, and length that translates well to the NBA game, Ross’ draft stock benefited greatly by answering any concerns about his freshman profile and growth potential.

NBA: Drafted 1^st Round, 8^th pick by Toronto Raptors

Highlights

• 2013 Sprite Slam Dunk Champion
• Scored a career high 51 points on January 25^th, 2014 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
• On November 2^nd, 2015, Ross signed a three-year $31.5 million contract extension with the Toronto Raptors.

The jury is still out on Ross as a professional basketball player.  After nearly four seasons, 272 games, and 6,314 minutes played, Terrence Ross remains somewhat of a mystery.  A common phrase I see in many write-ups is he’s a, “maddening up-and-down player”.  When he’s up he gives the Raptors a capable explosive player to go along with Kyle Lowry, Demar DeRozen, and DeMarre Carroll.  When he’s down he loses focus in using his superior athleticism and quickness to cause havoc in the transition game and snuffing out passing lanes on defense.  The Raptors need to put greater emphasis on getting him the ball where he performs best: on the move and in transition.  This is not easy with the Raptors’ iso-heavy, DeRozan-and-Lowry offense.

Overall:  I believe the second year of collegiate basketball helped Ross solidify his draft stock.  By playing a second year he was able to show continued success in his strengths while displaying improvement in his weaknesses and growth in his overall game.  Although some say the Raptors made a reach in drafting Ross 8^th, I say that the extra year of NCAA basketball solidified the Raptors’ confidence in what they were getting in Ross – a very athletic, quick, and explosive player with known weaknesses that may or may not fix itself over time.  The strengths that Ross displayed over two years at Washington provided the Raptors with a player who is at the very minimum a valuable role player on a playoff caliber team if his full potential is never reached.  In my opinion I like the idea of Ross’ floor being a valuable role player for years to come rather than drafting a potential outright bust.