Orlando Magic know Terrence Ross’ value on the court

The Orlando Magic have a tough decision at the trade deadline with Terrence Ross. He is the only scorer off their bench and vital to any Playoff hopes.

Terrence Ross celebrated his birthday Tuesday the only way he knows how — he got buckets.

Coming off the bench has become second nature for him over the last few years, but nothing has gone quite as well as things have this year. Orlando Magic broadcaster David Steele likes to joke in his “Is This Anything” segment about how quickly Terrence Ross takes a shot the moment he steps on the floor. Ross is anything but shy when it comes to scoring and shooting.

Ross poured in 26 points on 8-for-18 shooting, making 5 of his 13 3-point attempts. His second-quarter run — nine points on 3-for-5 shooting and 2 for 3 from beyond the arc — helped the Magic stake a lead. His shot-making builds energy and drives the team forward.

Cutting him off in the second half was a big part of why the Oklahoma City Thunder were eventually able to zoom past the Orlando Magic and score the win.

Orlando is a team that lacks any easy outside shooter or playmaker. Especially coming off the bench.

Ross has proven himself to be that spark. If he is not in the Sixth Man of the Year conversation, he really should be. He has had a tremendous season.

As much as the Magic know they need Nikola Vucevic to bolster the offense and keep the team above water, Terrence Ross is the bench version of that problem. And like Nikola Vucevic, as the trade deadline approaches, the Magic know how valuable and important Terrence Ross is to their ultimate success.

"“If you really look at it, there is always things for every team,” coach Steve Clifford said after Thursday’s win over the Indiana Pacers. “Thankfully he is such a dependable player. We don’t win many nights when he is not scoring. He’s such an important player to our team.”"

Ross is averaging a career-best 14.4 points per game, shooting 37.7 percent from beyond the arc for a 52.8 percent effective field goal percentage. His 12.4 field goal attempts per game this year are also a career high.

Few players on the Magic have an absolute green light. Ross is almost certainly one of them as he comes across screens and rises up quickly to get into his shot. Few players on the Magic have the ability to get hot in a hurry and make contested shots. That is especially needed in the Magic’s bench lineup without a consistent creator.

Ross has been fairly consistent in wins and losses — averaging 15.0 points per game in wins and 13.9 points per game in losses. Really the only difference is in his overall field goal percentage — 47.3 percent in wins and 40.4 percent in losses.

The reality for the Magic is that their margin for error is small enough that Ross getting hot can turn a game in their favor just as much as him going cold from the floor can turn it away.

Two of the Magic’s most recent games illustrate this perfectly.

Ross scored 30 points in the win over the Pacers last week. He made 11 of his 18 shots and five 3-pointers. His scoring binge through the early fourth quarter was essential to the Magic eventually taking the lead and pulling away for a solid home win.

"“That is how the game goes,” Ross said after Thursday’s game. “It’s a game of runs. You never want to get too down and stay focused and be ready to push and take good shots.”"

That is the kind of spurtability Ross can provide. The chance to string together a bunch of makes — especially from three — in a row without concern for the defense or its coverages is just a weapon no one else on this Magic team has.

Ross hits difficult shots with ease and can power a Magic offense that is noted for its struggles.

Ross made just 8 of his 18 shots against the Thunder on Tuesday. He went cold in the second half as the team’s offense bogged down and the ball movement that helped build the lead — and feed Ross — slowed down. Often — not all the time — the Magic’s strong offense and ball movement will help push Ross to score more and more.

The Magic know the value of this barometer and know the value of his shotmaking overall. It is not something the team takes for granted.

"“Once T-Ross gets going, he is hard to stop,” D.J. Augustin said after Thursday’s game. “He is such a great shooter, great scorer. He draws so much attention. Once he gets going, it is hard for any team to stop him. Even when you are right up on him, he jumps so high when he shoots. Once he gets going, it’s pretty much a good night for us.”"

That value is what probably has made Ross the most sought-after player on the Magic’s roster at the trade deadline. Trying to figure out what Ross should get in free agency is a mystery.

Inconsistency has characterized most of Ross’ career especially since signing the three-year, $31.5 million extension he will complete at the end of this season. The $10.5 million he is making this year is certainly been a bargain. He will clearly demand more as a free agent.

It would make sense for the Magic to try to exact some value for him — especially if the team has plans to spend big on retaining Vucevic, who comes with his own questions at the trade deadline.

But part of that equation and understanding his value is weighing whether the Magic can find an adequate replacement for him off the bench. That goes for the near- or short-term. Ross has provided a huge boost off the bench and returned immense value to the team.

The Magic know this. They know how vital he is to winning with this group. Whether that is a goal worth achieving is certainly still up for debate — the Magic trail the final Playoff spot by four games.

And so he is in the same spot as Vucevic in a lot of ways. The Magic know they need to extract some value if they are destined to move on from them and retaining the same team is not likely to yield vastly different results. But they cannot possibly get better and continue winning without him.

The Magic know just how important Ross is to their success on the court one way or the other.