Terrence Ross needs a consistent role in order to succeed with Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic acquired Terrence Ross hoping to add a shooter. Ross has struggled during his first month, but his struggles may have to do with the way the Magic are utilizing him early on.

The Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors agreed to a trade that sent Serge Ibaka to the Raptors for Terrence Ross and a 2017 first-round pick a week before the trade deadline. The trade made sense on many levels for the Magic. But the most exciting part was the shooting threat Ross would be able to provide to a team that desperately needed it.

Through his career, Ross has been known for his athleticism, electric dunks and his outside shooting. Ross has also carved a reputation for being a streaky scorer who has the ability take over games when needed.

For this reason, the Raptors used Ross mostly as a role player off the bench during his time in Toronto. His role was to energize the second unit and provide offense when the Raptors rested DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. Prior to the trade, Ross had done an excellent job off the bench for the Raptors averaging 10.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and shooting 37.5 percent from behind the arc in 22.3 minutes per game.

The Magic acquired Ross with the intent of using him in a larger role. This was a win-win for both parties involved. The Magic needed the boost on offense and the shooting threat from behind the arc Ross would provide. And Ross would be able to get more minutes consistently and a more defined role with the Magic.

In his first couple of games with the Magic, Ross was very involved on the offensive end. The Magic used him in pick and rolls and coming off screen. Orlando called plays for him to create in isolations. At the time, it seemed like the Magic were ready to make Ross a primary scoring threat.

In his first two games with the Magic, Ross averaged 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 16 shots per game. Ross shot 43.7 percent from the field and 40 percent from behind the arc.

After the excitement of adding Ross to the team wore off, Frank Vogel started to use Ross differently on the offensive end. Vogel started using Ross mostly as a spot up shooter. He spent most of his time standing in the corners Ross would go on to average 9.1 points, 3 rebounds, 1.6 assists while shooting a horrific 37.5 percent from the field and 23.8 percent from behind the arc during this stretch.

With the Magic this season, Ross is involved on spots up on 23.4 percent of his possessions, shooting 34.9 percent overall and a 47.7 percent effective field goal percentage. He scores 0.96 points per possession, according to NBA.com. It has had limited effectiveness as Ross has struggled to make shots consistently since arriving in Orlando.

The role Ross played on offense is the biggest difference between the first two games and the following nine games. Ross was rarely involved in pick and rolls (just 2.2 possessions per game as the ball handler in pick and rolls with a surprising 1.03 points per possession, according to NBA.com) and isolation plays (0.3 possessions per game for 1.00 points per possession, according to NBA.com). Additionally, his field goal attempts per game also declined significantly. He averages only  9.7 shots per game during the last nine games.

It was a surprising change of approach for the Magic after the way they used Ross in his first two games with the team.

The Magic hoped to give Ross a larger role in acquiring him near the deadline. They hoped he could be a significant offensive contributor. Early on, it seemed like Orlando was ready to let Ross loose on offense and provide him with the larger role everyone expected. But it all seemed to change just after two games.

In his short stint with the Magic, Ross has proven to be a good passer and a player who can create off pick and rolls. He has also shown an ability to hit tough shots coming off screens from mid-range and from behind the arc.

In order for Ross to be effective and contribute as expected, he needs to be involved in the offense more. Having Ross stand in the corner and be a spot up shooter is not the most effective way of using Ross’ skills on offense. His 18.6 percent usage rate with teh Magic is worse than his usage rate with the Raptors.

This past week the Magic have gone back to involving Ross more on offense. The team has looked like a different team.

The Magic have a 3-1 record in their last four games. And Ross has led the team in scoring in the last two games. During this stretch, Ross is averaging 16.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists per game and he is shooting a terrific 49 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from behind the arc. Ross has taken 12.2 shots per game in the last four games, which is an improvement.

A more involved Ross on the offensive end means more opportunities for his teammates as well.

When the defense must pay attention to Ross coming off screens and he is involved in pick and rolls, it helps create open looks for his teammates and it allows players like Elfrid Payton, Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon create their own shots.

Orlando needs to find a way to continue to call his number on offense and keep him involved offensively.

The keyword all season for the Magic has been consistency. And, when it comes to properly using Ross on this team, the same word comes to mind.

Consistently involving Ross in the offense will allow the Magic to be a much better team offensively and a more competitive team on a nightly basis. The Magic need to continue to tweak Ross’ offense to find a way to find a better balance in the final nine games of the season. They need to involve Ross as much as possible to continue to enhance the offense.

It will also allow the Magic an opportunity to see what kind of player Ross can be next season when the team will rely on him to be a consistent contributor.

Ross will make his return to Toronto on Monday night for the first time since the trade to Orlando. Emotions will be high in this game as Ross gets to play against the team that drafted him for the first time since the trade.

Next: Elfrid Payton has the most to prove to end the season

This is the perfect game for the Magic to let Ross loose on offense. Hopefully, Ross can respond by putting on a show against his former team.