Breaking Down Toronto Raptors' Small Forward Position for 2014-15 Season
A familiar face from the past and a young rookie with a wingspan that would make Stretch Armstrong green with envy will join Terrence Ross and Landry Fields at small forward for the Toronto Raptors this upcoming 2014-15 season.
James Johnson, a five-year journeyman who spent last season with the Memphis Grizzlies, signed a two-year deal with the Raptors on July 17. This will be his second stint with the team after playing 87 games from February 2011 to July 2012.
In arguably the most surprising selection of the evening, 19-year-old Bruno Caboclo was taken with the No. 20 pick in the 2014 NBA draft by general manager Masai Ujiri. The Basketball Without Borders MVP could very well be "two years away from being two years away," so his integration into the rotation will likely be a long and rigorous one.
While Dwane Casey has a slew of options at the 3 spot to go with in terms of either playing the hot hand or going with certain defensive assignments, a majority of the pressure still falls on Ross as he looks for redemption after an underwhelming and disappointing playoff run.
Grading Last Year's Performance
To this day, Ross continues to carry a personal burden for guard Kyle Lowry being unable to get off a clean shot during the final moments of Game 7 of Toronto's playoff series with the Brooklyn Nets.
"I honestly feel like I'm responsible for the reason Kyle [Lowry] didn't get that shot off because the spacing I had put a little more pressure on Kyle and his man," Ross said at media day. "It's tough for me to watch or even think about sometimes, but every day I'm always trying to get better so we can get over that hump."
Ross' first postseason experience was a tale of two players: one whose play was affected by emotional stress caused by personal drama, while the other proving capable of hanging with the NBA's best on the big stage.
Going 3-of-17 from the field with seven turnovers in the first four games of the series, Ross bounced back and finished the final three by hitting 11-of-30 while turning the ball over only twice. Those are hardly earth-shattering numbers, although it did appear that something had clicked in Ross' head after Game 4.
He later admitted to having dealt with some family problems early on in the series, per Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun.
“It was more off-the-court stuff and family issues,” Ross said. “I never really told anybody that, but I was just going through some tough times then. It kind of happened at a bad moment, but I tried to get through it as good as I could.”
The regular season was used as a proving ground for the 23-year-old after Rudy Gay was sent packing to the Sacramento Kings in a seven-player deal back in December. Ross scooped up the minutes of his former teammate and took over the reins at small forward, elevating his numbers across the board.
| Year | Minutes | Points | FG% | 3P% | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks |
| 2012-13 | 17.0 | 6.4 | 40.7 | 33.2 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.2 |
| 2013-14 | 26.7 | 10.9 | 42.3 | 39.5 | 3.8 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.3 |
The highlight of his campaign came on Jan. 25, when he dropped 51 points on 16-of-29 shooting against the Los Angeles Clippers, tying a franchise record set by Vince Carter on Feb. 27, 2000.
That performance set the bar so high for Ross that it became nearly impossible to reach the lofty heights he established for himself on that cold winter evening.
His inconsistencies on both the offensive and defensive ends were becoming problematic with his playing time fluctuating because of it. He was always able to work his way back into the good fortune of Casey by playing that much harder on defense, although there were stretches where that certainly wasn't the case.
Despite all that, Ross showed enough glimpses of brilliance to where you never wanted to bury your head in the sand for more than a nanosecond. Optimism was always high for a second-year player who did his very best to avoid a sophomore slump.
If only the same could be said for Fields off the bench.
The Stanford alumnus dealt with a nagging injury to his wrist after undergoing surgery in January, hindering what was already a very wonky shot to begin with.
| Year | Minutes | Points | FG% | 3P% | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks |
| 2012-13 | 20.3 | 4.7 | 45.7 | 14.3 | 4.1 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 |
| 2013-14 | 10.7 | 2.3 | 40.3 | 0 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
His saving grace came in Game 2 of the Brooklyn Nets series, holding All-Star Joe Johnson to two points in the game's final six minutes as the Raptors tied the series at 1-1.
Averaging just 11 minutes over his 30 appearances for the red and white, Fields failed miserably in his attempt to cement any sort of role with the team.
While he did offer value as a perimeter defender, he was so far down in the pecking order that he was only brought on in case of emergencies.
Final Grade: C
New Faces
The Raptors squad that Johnson finds himself returning to is the complete opposite of what he became accustomed to just three years ago.
This version comes with more focus and direction, while the team Johnson played for didn't know who they were or where they were headed.
With a new atmosphere comes a new attitude and a new lease on life for Johnson as he looks to erase the memories of his first Raptor run and carve out a new legacy north of the border, per the Canadian Press (via CBC.ca):
"It was a crazy road for me, but you learn a lot throughout your mistakes. I felt like Masai [Ujiri] and the rest of the Toronto Raptors they felt the same way about the situation and feel the same way about my play and what I could bring to the team.
I still have a lot to prove, but [the Raptors] signing me for two years gives me a boost of confidence and I'm going to work my hardest to help us go further than we did last year.
"
Rather than disrupt the chemistry of a roster that remained largely intact from last season, Johnson simply wants to be one of the final pieces to the puzzle and contribute in any way possible, per Holly MacKenzie of Raptors.com:
"They’re a solid foundation already. They already went to the playoffs. They had a successful end of the year. You don't want to mess that up. You have teammates [here] that know what I can do and know I can help. [They] know I can blend in with the team well, gel with the team, they don't have to worry about any problems with that. All I want to do is win. I’m about winning. I feel like these guys know that.
"
Standing at 6'9" and weighing a tad under 250 pounds, Johnson brings a physicality and edge on defense that Casey will fall in love with all over again. He can match up with larger forwards away from the basket and even hold down the low block effectively should he need to.
The Raptors' 106.1 defensive rating, which was 10th in the NBA last season, may continue rising up the charts with the hard-nosed Johnson in tow.
Caboclo, "the Brazilian Kevin Durant," is an unknown commodity that everyone wants to love and adore, but very few want to place their bets on.
He's that much of a mystery.
A Las Vegas Summer League stint that saw him average 11.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.2 blocks per contest made many a fan begin to come around on Ujiri's controversial pick. His shooting percentages of 39.5 percent from the field, 30.8 percent from three-point range and 83.3 percent at the charity stripe were also very respectable.
It was still against weak competition, though. Going up against NBA regulars will be a heavy dose of reality for the youngster, as Doug Smith of TheStar.com points out.
"He does not, however, yet have the one thing he needs more than anything else: The experience of being beaten on and beaten up by NBA players on a regular basis. Until that happens, the teenage Brazilian will remain little more than a long-term project."
Caboclo's priorities need to be on learning more about the game and improving his grasp of the English language, which has gotten much better since coming to Toronto.
What Can We Expect?
With an extra 15 pounds of muscle and a new sleeve tattoo for an added dose of awesome, Ross is seeing the fruit of his labor after getting his body into tip-top shape over the summer, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca:
"I ate everything in sight. I tried to lift as much as I could. When I got [back to Toronto] I kind of tried to double that. I try to lift after every time I [play a] game. After every drill, I go back to the weight room and do a quick set of something. I'm just trying to constantly lift and trying to keep this size.
"
The only thing that could derail Ross' progress is Ross himself. Lowry will make sure that Ross doesn't lose his focus, per Lewenberg.
"It's a really big season for [Ross]," Lowry acknowledged. I think he's in that line of figuring out what he is and what he's going to be. I think he's prepared for that. Me as a veteran leader, I'm going to make sure he knows what it's about, what it is."
DeMar DeRozan, who Ross played with in the Drew League, expressed similar sentiments.
"My job is to ensure [he] brings it every single night. And push [him]. You can't get tired, you can't get fatigued, you can't make excuses, you can't do none of this no more. You're not young no more, you're in the league, [he's] played at a high level, so there's no more excuses. It's just for me to bring out that potential that [he has] out of him."
With Johnson now waiting in the wings, excuses could cost Ross his starting gig. Casey now has someone who could fill that role to a tee and not hurt team dynamic.
Johnson isn't much for putting the ball in the basket (7.4 points for Memphis in 2013-14), but that doesn't mean it should be considered a major weakness either.
It doesn't matter who is starting at the 3 spot because they'll be looked at as the No. 4 or 5 option anyways.
While it's basically set in stone that Johnson will be Ross' primary backup to start the season, Caboclo's role is so far up in the air that it's well beyond the clouds.
A wingspan that measures roughly 7'6" is something Casey may want to experiment with on occasion, but not at the expense of victories.
If you're crossing your fingers and toes for double-digit minutes for the Brazilian, you've got another thing coming. The end of the bench is where he'll remain until Casey can figure out what his best course of action is.
That could change as we get deeper into the season, but for now Caboclo will need to scratch and claw his way to relevancy in year one.
Christopher Walder is considered by many to be the "songbird of his generation" and the greatest center to have never played professional, collegiate, high school, house league or pickup basketball. His work has been published on Bleacher Report, SB Nation, Sports Illustrated, FanSided and several other online outlets. You may follow him on Twitter at @WalderSports.
Unless noted otherwise, all statistics are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com or ESPN.com.
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