Who's the new guy? Raptors New Face: Terrence Ross

Terrence Ross might surprise some people.

Being the eighth overall pick in this year's NBA draft was a bit of a surprise for the Raptors fan base, but the Raps front office stands by their pick and believes he has what it takes. Terrence Ross now just has to prove his worth in the upcoming season.  

The Oregon native is no stranger to surprises, where his game saw a huge improvement in his sophomore year at Washington, averaging 16.4 ppg and 6.4 rpg for the Huskies. He also had an impressive NIT tournament where he had an average of 25.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg.  He's a 6'7" swingman who can shoot the ball, and shot 37% from 3-pt range last season. He's also known for his defensive game.

Ross joins fellow Washington Huskies alumni who have been drafted to the NBA: Brandon Roy, Detlef Schrempf, Spencer Hawes, Isaiah Thomas and Canada's own, Todd MacCulloch.  Detlef Schrempf, who was drafted back in '85, was also drafted 8th overall in the NBA draft.  Both Ross and Schrempf are the highest drafted Huskies alumni to be drafted to the NBA.

What does Ross bring to the Raps?  Shooting.  He brings a scorer's attitude and he's athletic, so he'll fit in fine and will push DeMar DeRozan to be better.  He can shoot the jumper and excels in catch-and-shoot situations. It's just now a matter of him proving that he can handle the ball and slash his way to the basket.  Expect the Raps to look for Ross to be an instant offence off the bench with the second unit.  

With Coach Casey's mantra being all about being defensive minded, Terrence Ross will need to step it up on the defensive end as well, and will need to be a pesky defender, altering shots with his athleticism.  This guy can do many things well; he has leaping ability and can rebound and block shots when needed.  

Terrence Ross will have that chip on his shoulder this season, looking to surprise the naysayers and proving that he deserved that eighth overall draft spot.  We'll definitely be looking forward to Ross as this season's training camp in Halifax.

The summer league highlights:

(Photo via Raptors/Getty Images)

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