TORONTO - As Dwane Casey reflected on some of his team's most pleasant surprises nearly halfway through the campaign, his eyes widened and a big smile came over his face as he mentioned the name James Johnson, a player that used to elicit a very different reaction from the Raptors' head coach.

Nearly three years ago, Johnson - in his first stint with Toronto - was pulled from the Raptors' starting lineup after getting into a verbal altercation with Casey during practice. Now, with the 27-year-old forward turning the page as both a player and as a man, Casey has given serious thought to reinstalling him as a permanent member of the first unit.

Johnson, one of the team's most consistent two-way performers through 38 games, had made seven starts in place of the injured DeMar DeRozan, averaging 11.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 1.0 steal on 63 per cent shooting, before returning to the bench in DeRozan's return on Wednesday.

With DeRozan healthy again, it's no surprise to see Casey go back to his original lineups. It's the right move, at least for now.

The Raptors have had all kinds of success with their starting group of DeRozan, Lowry, Ross, Valanciunas and Amir Johnson. That unit has won more games together than any other starting lineup in team history, going 29-21 last season and opening this year with a record of 11-2 before DeRozan's injury, adding another victory after the 100-84 win over Philadelphia.

Last season they outscored opponents by a team-best 43 points in 717 minutes together, each of them averaging career-highs in scoring and minutes played. This year, they were a plus-31 entering Wednesday's game. Toronto's only five-man lineup with a higher point differential (plus-46) is its original second unit - Vasquez, Williams, Patterson, Hansbrough and James Johnson - a group Casey is just as motivated to keep together. It's been one of the league's best off the bench.

So, Johnson goes back to the bench in the hopes that DeRozan's return will help spark the team's ailing defence and restore a sense of normalcy in Casey's rotation. But, in light of Johnson's improved all-around play, expect the leash to be shorter than it has been in the past, especially on the slumping Terrence Ross.

Ross' shooting and focus on defence has been up and down in his third NBA season. After averaging 36 minutes a night over the final five games of December, the 23-year-old has logged under 30 minutes in each of the first six contests in January, playing less than Johnson in three of the past four.

Is there anything Johnson could do to supersede Ross in the starting lineup?

"Continue to play the way he's playing," Casey said in response. "I mean there's nothing etched in stone. I really just think that [Johnson] being that wild card off the bench really kind of sets the tone for us, for that second unit. But never say never. I don't want to put myself in a corner and say it's never going to happen."

It's possible Casey may be trying to light a fire underneath Ross. When he's locked in as a defender at his position and hitting shots from the corners Ross is a crucial cog in the first unit, spacing the floor and opening up driving lanes for DeRozan and Lowry. In 213 minutes together this season, they're shooting 49 per cent from he field and 43 per cent from three-point range while getting to the line at an impressive rate. 

Even on Wednesday, as DeRozan returned, Ross continued to struggle. He made one of four shots in just 18 minutes after getting the hook early in the third quarter and sitting out the rest of the second half. Of greater concern to Casey, he missed a number of defensive assignments and seemed a step behind for most of the night. Instead of Johnson, who logged just 15 minutes in his return to the bench, Lou Williams was the biggest beneficiary of Ross' second-half benching. Williams played 23 minutes, scoring 19 to lead Toronto's second unit.

"Every young player goes through it," Casey said after the game. "You'd have to ask him what he's going through but I just felt that Lou had it going, DeMar coming back in the picture and it's just hard getting all those guys back in there and we've got to go with the guys that are producing on the defensive end."

Changing up the two units, starting Johnson for Ross, would require a leap of faith on Casey's part. That group - Lowry, DeRozan, Valanciunas and the two Johnsons - has logged just five minutes together this season, hitting four of 10 shots, missing their only three-point attempts and holding opponents to 2-of-9 from the field. The sample size is far too small to read into its results.

One thing is for certain, the Raptors would lose some floor spacing by making the switch, a legitimate concern with DeRozan and Lowry requiring room to operate on the perimeter. However, as long as the team's defence and rebounding continue to suffer and Ross remains erratic, the lack of outside shooting may be a risk Casey is willing to take.

After all, Johnson has become more than just a defender and rebounder. Casey has raved about his improved offensive discipline, decision making, and passing, even out of the double teams he has seen recently.

"I just think he's more in a facilitating role when he's with the first group," Williams said of Johnson. "With the second group we expect him to be a lot more aggressive, take more chances on the offensive and defensive end to anchor us. And on the first group I just feel like he's one of the guys. Obviously that's a group where Kyle leads and James just plays more of a defensive role on that group"

"[He brings] everything," Lowry said. "The intangibles, shot-blocking, big body, a playmaker. James can make plays. If people don't notice, he can pass the ball. He can get to the basket. He can finish. He covers a lot of ground for our mistakes."

For now, it's Ross' job to lose but whether or not he loses it may have more to do with the team's overall performance than his own. As long as the team is winning and the defence improves with DeRozan back, Casey will likely opt for status quo, perhaps continuing to cut Ross' minutes if his slide persists. Altering the rotation all together is a risk that may only be worth taking if DeRozan's return doesn't turn out to be the cure to their recent ailments.