The NBA has decided to #LetRossDunk. Toronto Raptors rookie Terrence Ross was named to the 2013 NBA Slam Dunk Contest on Thursday after a powerful marketing push by his team appears to have done its job. He will join Eric Bledsoe, Kenneth Faried, James White, Jeremy Evans and Gerald Green.
He has a solid endorsement with the #LetRossDunk campaign started by the Raptors. Ross' clout extends to teammate and former dunk competition contestant DeMar Derozan, who is pushing for his young teammate as well.
For more on the Raptors, visit Raptors HQ
The rookie wing out of Washington might not be a household name, but Toronto's campaign for him to appear in the All-Star weekend enough was evidence enough that he deserves a shot at the dunk title. At 6'7, Ross hasn't gotten much attention north of the border, but his playing time has been creeping up close to the 20-minute-per-game range in the past month.
And his bench role hasn't limited his number attempts to show off his athleticism. Ross, with a so-so wingspan of 6'7.25 and a impressive vertical of 37.5 inches, according to his Draft Express profile, is the type of dunker with the hangtime long enough to cock back attempt off offensive rebounds.
In another example of that hangtime, the clip below shows Ross going after an offensive rebound coming from the far right corner of the floor in this game against Brooklyn. It appears that he misreads where the ball will come off the rim, but in mid-attack of the hoop, adjusts to jump under the basket to throw down a putback slam on the opposite side of the rim.