I was getting the feeling that this season’s version of Terrence Ross is the most aggressive he’s ever been, and it turns out that, as usual, my gut feeling was correct. The stats bear it out: Ross’ shot-taking rate is higher this season than it’s ever been by a considerable margin. I don’t know if the fans down in Orlando would construe this as good news or bad news. It’s good news because Ross is actually showing signs of life instead of just passively drifting through existence like a displaced wraith, but it’s bad news because the Magic have no vested interest in Ross’ development, and every shot he takes is a shot that a developing player isn’t taking.
What appears to be happening is that Ross is integrating himself into the Vucevic/Fournier/Augustin group of players who aren’t ever going to lead the Magic to the playoffs, but are just good enough to screw up the team’s lottery odds by being skilled enough to drag the team to thirty wins. All while Magic fans wonder when the rebuild is going to end or if it ever truly began.