Hardwood Highlight of the Night: Double pin-down gets Ross open for 3
The Toronto Raptors are toeing the tricky line between contention and development with players like Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross.
Employing two 22-year-olds in the starting lineup on a team with playoff aspirations presents something of a dichotomy. On the whole, veteran players are more likely to deliver wins, but the Raptors have found some unlikely success since dealing away Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kings last season.
General manager Masai Ujiri had his eyes set on rebuilding, reorienting the future of the Raptors around players like Ross and Valanciunas. But the Kings trade actually quickened Toronto's rebuild with the acquisition of useful bench pieces.
The Raptors are 63-28 since the Gay trade and, as a result, the focus has shifted away from development and towards contention.
The change has left players like Ross and Valanciunas with less margin for error, which is evident by their workloads. Neither player has averaged more than 30 minutes per game, nor used over 20 percent of the team's possessions while on the court.
But less minutes and less shots has not necessarily stunted their development. Rather, Ross and Valanciunas are learning how to contribute alongside the Raptors' established veterans.
Take the play below, for example. The action is something of a pet play for Ross, whose main function in the Raptors' offense is to space the floor with his shooting.
The play opens with Valanciunas setting a down screen for Ross along the baseline. Ross darts across the court, while Kyle Lowry facilitates action up top.
After getting past the first screen, Ross continues cutting across the court, while his defender, Carmelo Anthony, lags behind. But just to be safe, the Raptors set yet another down screen, this time by Amir Johnson. Tasked with navigating around two screens in quick succession, Anthony has no chance, and looses Ross.
Having popped open, Lowry delivers a strike to Ross, who takes his time, sets his feet and rises up for an open look along the perimeter, where he is most dangerous.
The play can be seen below in its entirety.