The Orlando Magic acquired Terrence Ross before the All-Star Break giving the young player an opportunity at a larger role. He showed signs he can fill it.
By the time the All-Star Break and trade deadline came around, the deal felt inevitable. Everyone could see it happening and coming down the road. The Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors were merely dancing around each other waiting for deadline pressure to make them blink.
The only surprising part was that the teams completed the deal before the NBA went on its All-Star hiatus. The teams blinked and pulled off the inevitable deal.
The Raptors got Serge Ibaka, likely for less than they would have paid had they done so on Draft night. And the Magic got. . . something for Serge Ibaka to salvage something from a failed season. And as far as payouts go, Terrence Ross was certainly not a bad prize.
Ross was the sometimes inconsistent backup small forward for the Raptors. The guard capable of dropping 50 points one night, as he did a few years ago, and then scoring six the next, as his former coach Dwane Casey joked with a small hint of truth.
Ross provided what the Magic were looking for most desperately — shooting from the perimeter. His acquisition enabled the Magic to move Aaron Gordon to power forward and begin to transform the team’s identity into a fast-breaking team. It seemed to fit perfectly.
There were hiccups through the process. Ross needed some time to acclimate to his new teammates and a new system. The Magic promised him a larger role and that is exactly what he got. That came with its own changes and adjustments for the young forward too.
Orlando Magic
Ross did not put up the shooting numbers the Magic hoped for in the end. He never quite had that breakout offensive game. But Ross may have discovered something else. Something that may become more important for his career — consistency.
That word has dogged Ross for several years. It is the genesis of that joke from Casey when the Magic visited the Raptors late in the season. He never could create or score consistently. And that is what the Magic needed most. For now, at least.
The Magic were a haphazardly put together roster — more so before the All-Star Break than after. But the team still was rough around the edges. Ross was still an imperfect fit. He was till trying to fit in.
Orlando has a summer to make that fit work better and get the most out of this new acquisition that helped change the franchise’s short-term fortunes.
The Good and the Bad
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/11/2017.
When Terrence Ross first took the floor for the Orlando Magic, no one quite knew what to expect. Sure, Ross had the reputation as a sharpshooter who could get hot in a hurry and make 3-pointers quickly. Aside from the stray runout dunk, his offensive game was a bit of mystery to those who did not watch him enough.
Immediately, there was a noticeable different and an unexpected surprise in his play. Ross still had a way to go to get comfortable with his new role, but he could come off hard around a screen and rise and fire quickly.
Not only that, he was not some glorified chucker. He was not abusing this opportunity to expand his role and test what he could truly do when a full-time starter. He had a surprising passing ability, able to whip a pass quickly to the right man.
This time it was not his not getting involved. If anything the Magic did not involve him enough. He would play a strong three quarters and then seemingly disappear in the fourth as other players started to assert themselves.
The Magic do not have a clear pecking order and no player who seemingly can come to the forefront. Part of the Magic’s problems this year was knowing when to feature which player and for the young players to know when to assert themselves and when to fade into the background.
Ross was the new guy and did not always assert himself perhaps the way he should. He has never had to assert himself before. And so there was a learning curve for Ross.
His overall statistics were relatively flat in the long run. He averaged 12.5 points per game and shot 43.1 percent from the floor. He took more than 10 field goal attempts per game for the first time in his career.
More alarmingly, Ross shot just 34.1 percent from beyond the arc. It was hardly the efficient shooting performance the Magic expected when they acquired him. His shooting form did not come around in the way the team hoped.
On top of this, per 36 minutes, Ross did not really improve from his time in Toronto. If anything, he became less efficient playing more minutes and getting more opportunity.
Ross scored 14.4 points per 36 minutes with the Magic compared to 16.7 points per 36 minutes with the Raptors. Some decrease might have been expected thanks to the increased minutes and opportunity. His production became actual production rather than potential production.
Was it a matter of the team’s still rough construction or something larger about Ross?
That is the mystery for next season.
Best Game of 2017
April 8 vs. Indiana Pacers
29 points, 10/17 field goals, 6/10 3-point field goals
The Orlando Magic were trying to play one last meaningful game in this game against the Indiana Pacers. They still had one more against the Chicago Bulls. But we choose not to remember that game.
This game was not so memorable either except for Ross going on an offensive spurt to lead the Magic in a game that was pretty much a shootout early before the Magic ran out of gas. Ross never did though. He scored the first nine games, rising quickly off screens to hit jumpers.
This was Ross as everyone had imagined him. Quick, lethal, effective.
Ross has one of the quickest jumpers on the team. The way he can effortlessly rise atop the defense and score in midrange was something the Magic were desperately looking for. He was a scorer through and through.
That is important for this team as it looks for role players or players to grow. This game showed what Ross can do.
At least, the team should feel it can count on a game like this from Ross every so often. Especially with his floor for a less productive game rising, this kind of game could become more commonplace for Ross next year.
2018 Outlook
It is still a bit unclear where Terrence Ross fits for the Magic next year. Is he a budding young star or a potential role player or. . .
Everything seems on the table for Ross as he got this expanded and new opportunity with the Magic. He succeeded enough to keep trying but nothing is guaranteed with Ross.
Orlando seems invested in him and ready to continue giving him the expanded opportunity he received after the trade.
Ross presented some problems with the roster’s current construction. Defensively, he does not have the size to guard the bigger small forward. He is yet another tweener for the Magic’s backcourt.
But those are easily overlooked. Especially if he builds the consistency the Magic are hoping from him.
The Magic seem ready to go into next season with Ross playing a critical role for the team, either as a starting wing player or even coming off the bench depending on how other roster moves go. Ross has proven himself capable of playing either role. Although, the Magic saw plenty to believe Ross can play a larger role.
The other reality is the Magic could still see Ross as a valuable trade chip. His contract is team-friendly and he has a proven track record as a quality bench player if the Magic want to test the market.
It does not seem likely Orlando will do this unless the team has to. The Magic seem ready to see if Ross can step up into a larger role for longer than just the post-All-Star Break period.
Final Grade
The Magic knew they were getting a decent shooter in Terrence Ross. They got that, but also not quite.
Ross missed his fair share of shots. He was not the efficient 3-point shooter the team wanted. His efficiency did not follow him from Toronto. That is what happens with increased minutes and increased opportunity.
But Ross seemed to be a better fit in the Magic’s offense. And a summer of planning and development should improve his comfort and his consistency.
Ross was a strong shooter and the Magic only scratched the surface on ways to free him up and get the defense to pay attention to him. That should continue. Now Ross knows what is expected of him as a full-time starter. That should help him too.
Ross is far from a perfect player. The team should not be relying on him to be the first option every night. He is not a superstar player. Magic fans wanted to believe he could be a breakout player like Tracy McGrady when he arrived from Toronto.
That is not who Ross is.
Ross works better as a secondary piece, working off screens, handoffs and spot-up opportunities. He can fill that role and then on the not unoften occasion score a big game. Ross can get hot very quickly and the Magic saw just how dangerous his shot could become.
The Magic can still get a lot more out of Ross. Now that both he and the team are comfortable with each other, he needs to bring some efficiency and improve on that end.
Next: Orlando Magic search for a GM who can make his own luck
It always comes to that with Ross.