Orlando Magic: 3 players who will benefit from new head coach
By Luke Duffy
Orlando Magic players that will benefit: 3. Terrence Ross
A strange place to start for sure, but it makes sense if you really think about it. At this point, Terrence Ross is among the longest-tenured players on the roster. He is a veteran swingman who, if these playoffs have been anything to go by, absolutely has some trade value as a player who can be moved on in favor of a younger guy.
He also deserves to play for a more competitive team, and the introduction of Mosley could speed up that process. Coach Clifford was a big fan of using Ross as a sixth man, where he really does excel, but also from time to time in the starting lineup. Those results weren’t as explosive offensively, but it is clear Ross is a player who can be trusted.
He is a career 36.7 percent 3-point shooter, who does most of his work off the ball. His ability to create his own shot is underrated, while he has a good feeling for when to get others going and when he needs to have a strong scoring quarter himself. Like a more composed, and less flashy, version of what Lou Williams gave the Atlanta Hawks in these playoffs.
Even after the Magic went young, it felt like Clifford wanted to have Ross around as a veteran role model for the younger players to look up to. He seems an ideal candidate for this position, although whether he wants it or not is another matter. Mosley may end up wanting the same from Ross, who is under contract until 2023.
But every coach has their own way of doing things, and you have to think Mosley will be tasked with giving the young guys as much run to prove themselves as possible. It is hard to know where Ross figures in that, so moving him to a better situation to win because Mosley has been tasked with growing the team and not winning right now, like coach Clifford was, would make sense for everybody.