Thursday, February 7, 2013
Casey's plan with Ross, Valanciunas
By Joe Kaiser
Though rookies Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas represent a big part of the Toronto Raptors' future, both can expect their playing time to continue to fluctuate for the rest of the season and possibly beyond.
Ross and Valanciunas combined to play only six minutes in the Raptors' four-point loss to Boston on Wednesday, which is a bit surprising given each player's upside and Toronto's 17-32 record. The hope, according to coach Dwane Casey, is that both young players can remain patient while improving in practice.
Raptors beat reporter Josh Lewenberg tweets: "Casey doesn't want Ross or JV to be discouraged by inconsistent PT. Says it's nothing they've done wrong, have to learn/get reps in practice."
Ross was a player the Raptors refused to include in the deal for Rudy Gay, but his opportunity for playing time is largely blocked by the presence of DeMar DeRozan on the roster. It'll be worth watching whether Toronto goes into next season with both Ross and DeRozan, or if it looks to move one of the two in a trade.
