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In order to light a fire under Terrence Ross during what's been a miserable stretch for the third-year pro, Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey has elected to remove him from the starting lineup and make him a part of the second unit for the foreseeable future.

The writing was on the wall when he didn't play in the second half during a 95-93 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Jan. 18. He missed all three of his shot attempts in a little over 10 minutes. An ugly airball near the end of the second quarter was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Casey reiterated after the game he wasn't ready to throw in the towel on his young guard, even after his benching, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca.

"We're not giving up on him. He's a young man. All those [young] players, like I've always said, they're going to be up and down. We've just got to help him any way we can."

The Raptors went 3-7 in 10 games prior to their matchup with the Pelicans. Ross averaged 8.7 points in 27.6 minutes on 33.3 percent shooting from the field and 29.8 percent from three-point range.

A defense that allowed 106.0 points (26th in the NBA) during that span was one of the main reasons why the team struggled, yet that didn't stop disgruntled fans from pointing fingers and singling out Ross' inconsistencies.

The lack of growth in his overall game leaves him open to a fair amount of criticism. He hasn't made the necessary strides that could alleviate some of the negativity being sent his way.

Terrence Ross Career Statistics Season Minutes Points FG% 3P% Rebounds Assists Steals PER 2012-13 17.0 6.4 40.7 33.2 2.0 0.7 0.6 10.4 2013-14 26.7 10.9 42.3 39.5 3.1 1.0 0.8 12.0 2014-15 27.3 11.2 41.6 37.3 3.2 0.9 0.7 11.5 Basketball-Reference.com

He's been the starting small forward ever since Rudy Gay was traded to the Sacramento Kings at the end of 2013. It had been 102 games since he last came off the bench.

Now we begin anew as Ross joins a bench mob that's averaging 40.2 points, good enough for fifth in the NBA. The ramifications of his "demotion" are hopefully few and far between, yet there's always a chance that a subtle ripple effect is sent through a roster that's known for its continuity.

Pros of Removing Terrence Ross from Starting Lineup

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While it's only one game, Ross' first outing in his new role gave hope that Casey's experiment with his rotation will bring positive results.



He scored 16 points and grabbed five rebounds in 22 minutes as the Raptors escaped the BMO Harris Bradley Center with a 92-89 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 19. His final two baskets late in the fourth quarter, including a breakaway jam with 15.9 seconds left, helped seal the victory.

"He played well. He came off the bench relaxed and with a lot of confidence," Casey said after the game, per Lewenberg. "I thought when he came in the first half, he got us jump-started. I don’t know if it’s going to be a permanent thing, but I like the way he came in and played, especially on the defensive end."

The last time he scored 16 or more points was on Dec. 22 when the Raptors fell to the Chicago Bulls. It was nine more points than he had scored in his previous three games combined.

Every bucket was all the more important considering All-Star DeMar DeRozan put up a goose egg on the scoreboard. Ross stepped up and delivered the goods with DeRozan going cold.

Now if only he could add more diversity to his offense and stop relying so heavily on outside shooting.

He's attempted 209 three-pointers and 212 two-point field goals. Fifty-one percent of his points come from three-pointers, which is second on the team behind Patrick Patterson (53.6).

No longer will Ross have to contend with elite starters at his position. Against second-unit opposition, he may be more inclined to make cuts, drive past defenders and look for points around the rim.

That may be asking a lot from a player who's never shown a willingness to create contact, though. He's averaging a pathetic 0.8 free-throw attempts per game this season.

His regression defensively is of great concern. Casey wants Ross to be a lockdown perimeter defender, but that's still a ways away. His defensive rating of 110.9 was second-worst on the team during the aforementioned 10-game stretch.

Opponents are also shooting 47.1 percent against Ross on the year, per NBA.com. When he's off the floor, the Raptors' defensive rating improves from 107.9 to 100.5.

In all fairness, everyone on the team deserves their fair share of blame for how awful the defense has been. Yanking Ross won't do the trick on its own, but with the appropriate lineup changes we could see an upswing.

Cons of Removing Terrence Ross from Starting Lineup

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It was nearly a foregone conclusion James Johnson would be taking over Ross' starting gig. His physical brand of defense and knack for attacking the basket would be a welcome addition to a lineup that wasn't getting either of those things at the 3 spot.

So much for that. Greivis Vasquez got the start against the Bucks instead, with Johnson not seeing the court at all.

Casey made it clear afterwards Johnson's lack of playing time was not some sort of punishment, per Lewenberg:

"I'd love to play 15 guys. There's going to be some guys out of the rotation some nights and tonight those three did a good job—Terrence came in off the bench, Lou [Williams], Greivis and Kyle—so it had nothing to do with James, nothing he did wrong."

With both point guards in the lineup, there's very little room for error in terms of picking up fouls. Lou Williams is capable of bringing the ball up the floor off the bench, but he's more of a scoring guard and less of a facilitator.

Vasquez' shooting range is likely what earned him the nod over Johnson, even though his percentages are down across the board.

Greivis Vasquez' Shooting Numbers (Raptors) Season FG% 3P% FT% TS% 2013-14 41.7 38.9 85.5 53.7 2014-15 39.5 34.3 69.8 48.6 Basketball-Reference.com

Ross is just as inconsistent a shooter as Vasquez, but it's still important to have someone who's capable of spreading the floor play alongside DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. It opens up driving lanes for the Raptors' stars and forces the defense to keep one eye on them and one eye on the perimeter.

Johnson simply can't provide that. He's shooting 19.4 percent from behind the arc on the season and 25.8 percent for his career.

It's shooting vs. defense. It's a shame defense didn't win out when Casey elected to have Vasquez defend Pelicans guard Tyreke Evans with the game on the line, though.

Could this move have a negative impact on Ross' psyche? Having a role change to this degree can be quite the roller coaster for a 23-year-old.

Casey mentioned one day after a 110-89 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 16 he and his coaches had discussed benching Ross but ultimately rejected it, per Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun:

That’s one thing we’ve talked about but, what are you going to do, throw Terrence Ross away? Like I said in the playoffs last year (when Ross was brutal until stepping up in the crucial Game 7), T-Ross is a young kid (Jonas Valanciunas) is a young kid. All of our numbers probably don’t give them a lot of credit, but they’re still learning. You run the risk of possibly losing one of the young kids if you sit them down too quick.

His mindset changed awfully fast. One poor half against the Pelicans and Ross was toast.

If replacing Ross with Vasquez is how Casey wants to get through the coming weeks and months, why make the change at all? He may as well have left him in the lineup and lived or died with a five-man unit that has a solid history together.

Verdict

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Kudos to Casey for not sitting on his hands and letting his team continue on its downward spiral. Something had to be done to get the Raptors back on the right path, even if it meant adjusting a lineup that played the sixth-most minutes in the league last season, per NBA.com.

If Ross wants to regain his starter status, he'll have every opportunity to do so. Casey respects his drive and passion, but as he told Bob McCown and Arash Madani of Prime Time Sports Tuesday in Toronto, the bench is where he'll remain for the time being:

"He loves the game of basketball. He wants to play. He wants to prove to the world that he's an NBA player and a starter in this league. I'm not saying him coming off the bench is a permanent move, but it's something that I think is good for him right now. Let's him relax a little bit."

The Raptors push for a top seed in the Eastern Conference and a deep run in the NBA playoffs has forced a youngster like Ross to speed up his development. Fans aren't nearly as forgiving when expectations are as high as they are.

It's not fair, but it's reality.

Will Ross still be on the bench by the time the postseason arrives? If he is, that should be as clear a sign as any that he can't keep up with his teammates.

For now, he's exactly where he needs to be.

Christopher Walder is considered by many to be the "songbird of his generation" and the greatest center to have never played professional, collegiate, high school, house league or pickup basketball. His work has been published on Bleacher Report, SB Nation, Sports Illustrated, FanSided and several other online outlets. You may follow him on Twitter at @WalderSports.

All statistics, unless otherwise noted, are courtesy of NBA.com/stats and Basketball-Reference.com