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There’s no shortage of players on the free agent market for the Pacers

By Jordan Brandenburg

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 17: The Indiana Pacers President of Basketball Operations, Kevin Pritchard is introduced to the media during a press conference at the Indiana Pacers Training Facility at St. Vincent Center on December 17, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 17: The Indiana Pacers President of Basketball Operations, Kevin Pritchard is introduced to the media during a press conference at the Indiana Pacers Training Facility at St. Vincent Center on December 17, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Terrence Ross vs the Pacers
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 30: Terrence Ross #31 of the Orlando Magic is seen during the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 30, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

3-point shooting options for the Pacers

The Pacers front office and coaching staff has also stated a desire to increase the team’s three-point shooting. It’s not that Indiana is a poor shooting team from three; on the contrary, they ended the season ranked fifth overall in shooting from deep.

The issue is they finished last season attempting the second-fewest shots from long-range. While they were able to shoot efficiently from deep, they did so sparingly in comparison to the majority of the league, let alone the teams contending for a title.

With the addition of T.J. Warren, the Pacers were able to acquire a forward who converted on nearly forty-three percent of 180 shots from downtown last season. Acquiring the forward for cash was certainly a step in the right direction, but the front office should have additional deep threats on the radar this July.

Terrence Ross

Without a defined superstar, the Orlando Magic relied on a handful of players with the ability to get buckets when needed last year. The 28-year-old wing was able to provide just that during his best overall season. The sixth-man led Orlando’s bench in scoring, averaging 15.1 points and 3.1 rebounds (both career-highs) in 26.5 minutes on the floor. In fact, he had double-digit scoring numbers in 60 of his 81 appearances, including twenty games where he dropped 20 or more points.

The 3&D wing was a vital contributor for a fairly young Magic squad in 2018-19. He converted on 42.8% of his attempts and 38.3% of his shots from deep. With his best attribute clearly being scoring, Ross is able to create shots for himself off a screen or drain a long-ball directly off a pass from a teammate – 88% of his attempted shots were in one of the two fashions.

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While his defense isn’t elite-level, he’s able to use his athleticism and quickness to step in front of passes and disrupt his opponent’s ball movement. His 104.7 defensive rating was the best among the major contributors for the Magic last season and he posted the second-highest steal percentage on the roster.

Aside from his ability to catch fire from deep, the shooter can struggle to get buckets outside of the perimeter. He isn’t keen to driving into the lane for a dunk or layup when there’s traffic, which can be magnified when he’s in a slump from deep – a scenario he’s prone to find himself in from time to time. With less than 7% of his shot attempts coming from around the rim last season, the wing really had to rely on his touch from distance in order to positively impact his team.

This seems surprising considering he drained seventy percent of those attempts. Additionally, Ross only averages 3.3 free-throw attempts per-100 possessions, which is considerably low given the significant minutes he played.

After securing their first playoff appearance since the Dwight Howard-era, the Magic will likely be looking to re-sign their scoring sixth-man to a multi-year deal. As one of the better scorers on the market, the Human Torch will attract quite a few suitors bidding for a chance at his hot-hand. If the Pacers are unable to sign a max-level player, Ross should definitely be in strong consideration as a player who can start in Oladipo’s absence and provide scoring off the bench (which the team desperately needs) when their star returns.

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