That is the question most of Raptor nation was asking themselves after the Raptors used the 8th overall pick to select the swingman.

Ross is a shooting guard from Washington who is noted for his shooting ability and defensive intensity.

Now while everyone in Toronto will agree that selecting Ross at 8th overall may have been a bit of a reach with Austin Rivers, Jeremy Lamb and Andre Drummond still on the board, Ross may actually turn out to be a better piece for the Raptors and what Dwane Casey is trying to do with this organization.

Rivers and Lamb may become better NBA scorers, but it is Ross who better complements our current pieces.

Why Ross?

I am not entirely sure on this one myself, but I have several theories.

1. Ross is not a star, and with Colangelo believing in Bargnani and DeRozan bringing in someone like Rivers who would arguably be our best player and would demand 12+ shots a game may not be conducive to the growth of DeRozan and Bargnani who both need and deserve the opportunity to get better.

2. Ross is immediately one of our best wing defenders and that really helped push him over the top on the Raptors big board when compared to Rivers.

3. Barnes was off the board; the Raptors were obviously disappointed and went with the next name on their big board, again, Ross may be a better complement to our current pieces.

4. DeRozan may be moved in a deal for a veteran small forward, this is what I thought at first until my friend pointed out that, if that was the case than Rivers would have been a much better pick, I agree.

5. The Raptors believe Ross is a better shooter than Austin Rivers and Dwane Casey has stated as much. They believe Ross is a better shooter now and the Raptors are desperate to make the playoffs especially Colangelo. Ross’ shooting prowess complements DeRozan’s game well and hopefully DeRozan will stop taking so many threes himself.

6. The thought did cross my mind so here it is: David Stern paid the Raptors to pass on Rivers so the Hornets could get Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers in one of the best lottery hauls ever. I am reasonably certain this was not the case but I am sure I am not the only one who thought it.

 

Without further adieu let’s get to Ross and what those around the web had to say about him prior to the pick.

ESPN

• Explosive athlete
• Excellent shooter with range
• Very good leaper
• Can get to the basket with a quick first step

The other player that really wowed me this weekend was Washington’s Ross. Like Damian Lillard, Ross is going to be impressive in workouts. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he worked out better than all of his competition at the 2-guard spot.

Why?

Ross, Waiters, Jeremy Lamb and Austin Rivers are all in a bit of a scrum right now and, in a number of instances, will work out directly against each other for teams in June. Ross has several advantages that should pop in workouts. First, he’s the tallest of any of the shooting guards (he’s measuring 6-foot-6 in socks, 6-foot-7 in shoes). He’s also the most athletic. Ross is an explosive leaper, a blur up and down the court and has great lateral quickness. He’s also the best shooter of the group. Not only did Ross shoot the highest percentage from 3 of any of the four players mentioned, he rarely missed anything in his workouts at 360. He’s got a quick release and deep range. For a team looking for a pure shooter, he’s by far the best choice in the lottery.

Ross also looked terrific in four-on-four play. His team was matched against Daye and Butler, and Ross more than looked like he belonged playing against and, later, with them. He was much more aggressive than what we saw at Washington, he hit a number of impressive 3s and had several highlight reel dunks in the course of the game. Had Ross played with a more conventional point guard last season (one that didn’t dominate the ball as much as Wroten did), he could’ve put up much bigger numbers.

Waiters and Rivers are more aggressive scorers than Ross. Lamb is longer and may be the best defender of the group. It’s clear that Ross needs to get stronger and work on his in-between game. But for a team looking for size, athleticism and shooting at the 2-guard position, he could be the guy. I think his range, like Waiters, Lillard and Lamb, is probably 6-13.

NBAdraftnet

Solid ball-handler …Very good court vision, finding teammates off P&R, or fast break … Runs the lane well in transition with ability to spot up on the wing or finish a lob … Lacks a conscience. Possessing irrational confidence at times, allowing him to play at a high level without perceived nerves or anxiety in high-pressure situations … Long and active defender on-ball … Excellent pass denial. … Capable help defender, proven through passing lane deflections and weak-side shot blocks … Great footwork in the face-up game, mostly showcasing pump-fake, one dribble pull up/step-back … Good 3pt and mid range shooter … Shot has good lift and form … Exciting dunker in traffic or off lobs, with exceptional contortion abilities and body control in the air … Length and ball instincts make him a great rebounder for a guard …

 

An overall grade of 96 signifies that Ross may actually be a better prospect than some Raptors fans think (Waiters 93, Lamb 97, Rivers 94).

The thing that jumped out at me from these two evaluations was that they did indeed deem Ross as the best pure shooter out of Waiters, Rivers and Lamb.

Unfortunately another thing that jumped out at me was that they pegged Jeremy Lamb as the best defender of the group.

Was Ross a reach at number eight overall?

I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone not in the Raptors organization who does not believe that Ross was a bit of a reach at number eight, especially with DeMar DeRozan already on the roster at shooting guard.

Here are ESPN’s comments on the draft which echoes many Raptors fans sentiments that we could have traded down to 12, picked up Kyle Lowry and still got Terrence Ross.

“ The Raptors had a disappointing night. They were hoping that either Waiters or Barnes would be there, but when both were taken, I think the Raptors might have reached a bit.

I like Ross, and on certain teams I would’ve liked him a lot. But I don’t think either he or DeMar DeRozan are small forwards. Ross does bring the shooting DeRozan lacks, but it would’ve been nice if the Raptors could have found help at either the one or three. Given how badly the Rockets wanted into the Top 10 (they were after Drummond and Rivers), I think I would’ve swapped this one for a few picks from Houston. They still could’ve landed Ross and picked up another asset as well.”

With that said even though fans and draftniks may deem Ross at number eight a reach, the Raptors obviously had him right behind Barnes and Waiters on their big board ahead of Rivers and Lamb.

However it has become apparent that the Raptors did not want to add Lowry as they are hoping to land Steve Nash in free agency this summer.

If we do not land Nash however this may end Bryan Colangelo’s tenure with the Toronto Raptors considering we could have got Ross at 12 and another asset whether through the draft or from Houston.

Is Terrence Ross a good fit?

Yes.

‘Fit’ was one of the main reasons behind the Raptors selecting Terrence Ross with the 8th overall pick.

As stated above Ross is a better shooter than DeRozan and has been hailed as the best ‘pure shooting’ shooting guard prospect not named Bradley Beal.

Ross will be able to play with DeRozan and will also be able to spell him if needed. Bryan Colangelo talked about DeRozan being able to handle minutes at the three and Dwane Casey mentioned that he sees wing players as wing players and does not always get caught up in the labels of a two and a three.

Ross is the smooth, catch and release shooter the Raptors need on the perimeter and that coupled with his defensive upside actually make him a great fit for the Raptors.

Furthermore as stated above Ross is not a star and when comparing him to Austin Rivers who has star potential ‘that’ may have actually been a selling factor as Ross would allow Bargnani and DeRozan to continue on their development curve while Austin Rivers may have actually stifled the growth of one or both due to his scorers mentality.

Are we happy with the pick?

We were not thrilled when they made the selection with Drummond still available for a trade down scenario and Lamb and Rivers still on the board both of which are better prospects than Ross in some respect.

We do appreciate that Ross is a more complete all-around player and may be able to help right away but we still feel a little perplexed that the Raptors could not complete a trade down to get the same player.

Ross should be a good complementary piece to the pieces we already have and could help to form a dynamic pick and roll game with incoming rookie Jonas Valanciunas.

Most of us would have been happier with Rivers or even Jeremy Lamb but we should trust that Bryan Colangelo, Dwane Casey and Ed Stefanski know a little more about these prospects than we do.