Despite the odds, Toronto Raptors rookie Terrence Ross has begun to carve out a role for himself on the team. Depth on the wing and a stated reluctance to risk losing games by developing rookies had suggested Ross would be spending at lot of time watching from the bench this season.

Fortunately for Ross, things do not always turn out as planned. After a 6-1 preseason, the Raptors ran into some unexpected chemistry issues on the court and then into a string of injuries to Lowry, Anderson and Landry Fields. As a result, Ross has seen time in 13 of the Raptors’ first 15 games and played over 12 minutes in eight of them. In those eight games, Ross is 10-25 from three-point range and has been an active defender with six steals.

“[Ross is] still making mistakes, but he is figuring it out on the defensive end much better,” Casey said. “Where he should be, how he should get there, the different defensive coverages that we are in, who is the tag guy and all that, he is figuring it out. He is going to be able to score. He missed some shots the other night, but he still has to take those same shots as he is going to make those.”

“He can do a lot of great things, but at the same time he’s still learning,” DeRozan said. “Anytime he gets a chance to play in a game or in practice, he has to use it as a chance to get better. I try to stress that on him every time, try to talk to him that we’re going to need him, that he can do a lot of great things for us.”

via Stephen Brotherston of HOOPSWORLD