Terrence Ross in 'Great Shape' Entering Magic Season

Terrence Ross is the longest-tenured player for the Orlando Magic and the oldest player on one of the league's youngest teams. What does his role look like this season?

Jeremy Brener | Sep 30, 2022

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.

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Published Sep 30, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.