Terrence Ross in 'Great Shape' Entering Magic Season
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The Orlando Magic enters the season as the second-youngest team in the league with an average age of 23.5. But Terrence Ross, even at the young age of 31, brings that average up and is the "senior citizen" of the team.
For a team rebuilding and aiming towards a youth movement, it can be hard for players like Ross to fulfill a role on the team, but there's a lot of excitement surrounding the Magic's oldest player.
"Obviously, he's at a different point in his career than a lot of our players but he's really embraced the situation and he's had a great summer," Magic president Jeff Weltman said. "He's been in a lot. He seems to be in a great, you know, frame of mind right now. He's in great shape. And obviously, you know, we always are going to be sensitive to like the needs of our players and where they are and how how their careers are tracking in combination with where we are, but he's in a great place right now. He's excited. He's optimistic. And so, you know, I expect him to have a good season and, you know, we'll kind of take it as it goes."
Ross has been the subject of trade talks, but he's remaining in Orlando to start the season. By the end of the year, that may not be the case. But as a veteran, Ross adds value to the team in a number of ways.
His veteran experience will be crucial off the court in mentoring the younger players, but Ross, an 11-year veteran, can also be valuable on the court. He's hoping to have a better season than he did last year. Ross shot just 39.7 percent from the field, including 29.2 percent from 3-point range. He also averaged just 10 points per game, his lowest scoring production since the 2017-18 season when he only played in 24 games.
There's hope for Ross to bounce back this season and the Magic is hopeful to have him be part of the squad.
You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
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