Orlando Magic: Does Terrence Ross make the jump next season?

By Chris Murch | Jun 28, 2018

(Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

Perhaps the biggest mystery for the Orlando Magic this season will be the development of Terrence Ross next season. Will be a helpful piece, or continue to be inconsistent?

While researching this article, I came upon Terrence Ross’ age of 27 and was taken aback. We’ve been hearing his name now for 10+ years, and while I am a UCLA fan, and he used to torch the Bruins playing for the University of Washington, I was definitely under the assumption that Ross was older.

Maybe it was his Slam Dunk Championship in 2013? Maybe the most unlikely 50-point game in NBA history? Maybe his play with the Toronto Raptors for years? I breathed a sigh of relief at this age news because, being the Orlando Magic’s fourth-highest paid player, Ross still has a long way to go in this league.

The question is, can he finally make the jump in 2018-19?

After acquiring him in the Serge Ibaka trade at the 2017 NBA trade deadline, Ross, in 24 games, went on to average a career high in points, steals and assists for the Magic. It was a small sample size for sure, but reason to have promise going into the next season.

Ross’ 2017-18 campaign, however, was disappointing to say the least. From game one of the season it became evident that Ross was struggling mightily and maybe having a little bit of an identity crisis, and a sprained MCL 22 games in limited him to just two more appearances for the rest of the season.

Never in Ross’ pro career had he been called on to shoulder a big scoring load and be a consistent starter, but on this struggling Magic team, Ross was looked to as someone who could potentially score in bunches and spread out the offense. This led to career low marks in field goal percentage (39.8 percent) and 3-point percentage (32.3 percent), not to mention his lowest scoring output since his rookie season (8.7 points per game).

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Even when healthy, Ross was having problems doing what the Magic desperately needed him to do: score the damn ball. In his first 22 games he didn’t reach double-digits in 13 of them. His highest scoring outputs of the season were 22 points in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and two 17-point games against the lowly Phoenix Suns and Charlotte Hornets.

When all was said and done, Ross, in the 24 games played, put up 8.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game for the season. For someone who was averaging 25 minutes a game at the time, in an amplified role, these numbers don’t give Magic fans much reason to be confident.

The one aspect of Ross’ game that allowed him to stay on the floor and contribute was his perimeter defense. Prior to his injury, Ross was averaging 1.3 steals a game and his defensive box plus/minus was at a +0.4. He is rangy and quick, which allows him to jump passing lanes and pick the pockets of ball-handlers. Being on a Dwayne Casey-led team for five years was good for Ross’ defensive development and hopefully, if the offense isn’t there moving forward, his defense will sustain.

It’s impossible, obviously, to not point out the injury that Ross sustained this year as a big impediment to his progress as a player and as a member of the Orlando Magic. In the second quarter of a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in late November, Ross attempted to contest a shot in the paint by Russell Westbrook and landed awkwardly on his right knee.

An MRI showed that he had a sprained MCL and a non-displaced fracture on the same knee. This put him out for four-and-a-half months and resulted in Ross only playing in two more games the rest of the season.

While it is promising that Ross did attempt to play late in the season and felt healthy enough to play 24 combined minutes in those games, coming back from such a brutal injury, especially for someone as athletic as Ross, is going to be tough.

With Ross, I believe there to be a light at the end of the tunnel. With the workout videos he has posted on his personal social media pages this offseason, it looks as though he is getting bounce back and has been working hard. He routinely mentions that he is on his second workout of the day, and time stamps shows early and late workouts, which has to be a good sign for Magic fans.

With Orlando drafting Melvin Frazier, Ross now has some competition at the wing spot from another athletic, 6’6” player. Do the Magic try to package Ross and his one-year expiring deal for an established point guard like a Dennis Schroder? Or do they try to develop with him?

Ross will have the opportunity to return to the starting shooting guard position and establish himself as the $10 million man he is if he’s on the roster opening day. Can he obtain a more consistent jump shot? Will his athleticism carry over after injury? Does he become the locker room leader he should be and produce at a high clip this year? Only time will tell.

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From my stance, Ross has room to keep growing and potential to become a solid option for Orlando, but questions remain about his ability to grow after never being able to make the expected jump.

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