Toronto Raptors Quarterly Awards for 2016 Season
By Demar Grant
Breakout Player of the Year
Terrence Ross
T-Ross has finally started taking step to becoming the boss. I wonder if he’s been frequenting forums and NBA Reddit because there was a lot of discussion among fans about trading the Raptors new-found gunslinger.
The eye test says this is the best version of Ross there has ever been. If you look at the numbers Ross is actually shooting less, attempting less threes and is playing in less minutes than he was last year but his efficiency has sky rocketed. The boss is officially shooting 45 percent from three point range this season and it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down at all. 10.6 points off the bench is is only an incremental upgrade from last year but it is no longer feast or famine with Ross, it’s a steady diet of three point shooting and athleticism now.
If you watch him play, He’s hawking the lanes, getting out on the break and his three point stroke is smoother than Michael Jackson’s moonwalk. I predicted before the season’s start that it wouldn’t be JV’s breakout year and I honestly thought it would be Norman Powell‘s, but 20ish games into the season and Ross looks like he’s on his way to being a consistent (hell is freezing over friends) rotational player.
Other Nominee: DeMar DeRozan, DeMarree Carroll