It wasn’t that long ago that folks in Toronto were scratching their heads upon hearing the name “Terrence Ross.” He was the surprise pick—eighth overall—in the 2012 NBA draft, an unknown commodity for many in Raptors Nation who had their sights set on Andre Drummond or Austin Rivers.
But as Ross gets set to embark on his third year in the league, he has established himself as a bona-fide piece of the Raptors puzzle.
Ross’s first season, like that of most rookies, was less than spectacular. He struggled at times to find confidence and consistency on the floor. His potency from the perimeter and agility on defence—skills that had been touted on draft night—came in short glimpses and he was constantly being compared to those that were selected after him. In fact, a lot of critics would mention Ross in the same breath as the player selected directly before him, Golden State’s Harrison Barnes, as he was the player Toronto would have selected if not for a coin-flip that allowed the Warriors to select ahead of the Raptors in 2012.
Last year Ross was supposed to back up both Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan, be brought along slowly in the progression of his career. But the early-season deal that sent Gay to Sacramento completely changed the makeup of Dwane Casey’s roster and the path that Ross was on. Suddenly the quiet kid from the University of Washington was in the starting lineup and his baptism of fire began.
Casey called upon Ross to help spread the floor on offence and, more importantly, bring energy and efficiency on the defensive end. And the youngster responded. He finished his sophomore year scoring just under 11 points per game (a 4.5-point increase from his rookie campaign), appearing in 81 of 82 regular-season games. In his 62 starts, Ross became a solid complement to DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, and the vibe in the court of public opinion was beginning to change, too.
From flashes of supreme athleticism—bounding off the floor for remarkable in-game dunks and aerial assaults—to his out-of-nowhere 51-point explosion against the Los Angeles Clippers, Ross was wiping out whatever doubts may have existed on draft night two years earlier.
“Last year was fun,” he said. “But I don’t feel like I’m going to catch anybody by surprise anymore.”
That may have been the case in the 2014 NBA playoffs, when Ross was completely shut down—on both ends—by the Brooklyn Nets. Veteran Joe Johnson bullied the younger, smaller Ross with relative ease. And Toronto got very little out of their wingman on offence as well. Ross averaged only five points per game in the post-season, shooting a woeful 29.8 percent from the floor and just 16.7 percent from distance. Brooklyn took him out of his game, and took the Raptors out of the playoffs in the process.
“You think about it a lot—especially since (we) were just in the playoffs,” admitted Ross. “It’s hard not to think about it when you get back. But it’s a new season. You’ve got to keep it in the past and move forward.”
In order to move forward, Ross knew that he had to put in a ton of work during the off-season to prepare his body—and mind—for the rigours of another 82-game grind. Thus, for the first time in his career he truly committed to transforming his frame. With the help of Toronto’s trainers, nutritionists and specialists, Ross added 15 pounds of muscle.
“It was a lot of eating and a lot of lifting—a combination of both,” he said. “The game is so physically demanding and it take so much out of you that you have to do this just in order to function properly.
“My body feels better than it ever has. I just feel that I’ve gotten so much better over the summer that I feel more comfortable to take that right into the season. Hopefully it’ll translate.”
Ross spent a lot of his summer working out with teammates in Los Angeles as well. In fact, DeRozan—who is known to prefer working out on his own more often than not—opened his doors to his younger teammate, taking Ross under his wing and going one-on-one with him throughout the off-season.
“That helped—seeing (my teammates) every day,” said Ross. “We worked out, came together and did our little workouts. It helped. Everybody is (now) on the same page and everybody learned everyone’s tendencies. You gel so much easier.”
Ross believes the Raptors are poised to have another good run this year. He doesn’t think the team is simply satisfied with making the playoffs—and bowing out early—last season.
“Last year was a good season, but it’s over,” he said. “If that’s all you think about you won’t go any further than that. We’re trying to move on to bigger and better things.”
And the same can be said about the individual as well, a man who has come a long way in a very short amount of time.
“This is my third year (and) I feel a lot more comfortable than I did in my first two years,” said Ross. “It’s a great feeling just knowing what to expect. I’m enjoying it.”