Terrance Ferguson season review – Rookie with big upside

CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 20: Terrance Ferguson #23 of the Oklahoma City Thunder shoots the ball during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 20, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 20: Terrance Ferguson #23 of the Oklahoma City Thunder shoots the ball during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 20, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)
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What can be said about a player like Terrance Ferguson that did not average a full rebound, assist, steal, block, or turnover? Plenty – you’ll see.

The 2017-18 season marked the first year in the league for rookie Terrance Ferguson. The sample size was small, but glimpses of the tools the young player has to work with was an encouraging sight for OKC Thunder fans.

T-Ferg got to draw some starts for the playoff-destined OKC Thunder team when Andre Roberson went down. Prior to that, he was barely a blip on the radar. More on his stint as a starter later on.

Season Statistics:

Terrance Ferguson’s stats were limited in his 61 games this season, but a stats dive offers up some intriguing numbers.

  • The rookie shooting guard averaged 12.5 minutes per game. For reference, in their rookie seasons, Paul George averaged 20.1, Corey Brewer 22.8, and Andre Roberson 10.
  • In terms of percentages, things were pretty solid despite low volume: 41 percent from the field was impacted by two of his 2.8 attempts per game being from long distance (33 percent from deep).
  • He also hit nine of his 10 total free throw attempts. Those are Kevin Durant-type numbers. We have found the replacement, people!
  • 3.2 points per game is not much to write home about, but only 0.2 turnovers, even in 12 minutes of action is very encouraging.

Offensively, Terrance Ferguson is an interesting prospect. His athleticism and willingness to fire the three could grow into an important asset. How about on defense?