OKC Thunder: The rise and fall of Terrance Ferguson
The story of Terrance Ferguson and the OKC Thunder is one that’s had its share of ups and downs.
The time Terrance Ferguson has spent with the OKC Thunder has had plenty of ups and downs for both the player and the franchise. During his three years, Ferguson has seen a massive roster turnover with players such as Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, and Paul George coming and going.
This can not be easy for any young player, but Ferguson did not have the normal path to the NBA. An Oklahoman native, Ferguson chose to play professionally in Australia rather than going to college. This was a good move for Ferguson as it prepared him mentally for the rigors of the NBA.
This is certainly the road less traveled but obviously the OKC Thunder saw something in him. They selected Ferguson with the 21st pick of the 2017 draft. He was taken as a project 3-and-D player to back up Andre Roberson.
Terrance Ferguson’ rookie season with the OKC Thunder
He made 12 starts throughout his rookie campaign, even scoring 24 points in a game on 9-of-12 shooting, including 6-of-9 from deep. Unfortunately, this was one of only five double-digit scoring performances from his rookie year.
When Roberson went down with THAT knee injury, Ferguson stepped up to start. He had done so for seven previous games when Roberson was out previously and was reasonably successful. Unfortunately, the result was not as good the second time around.
Ferguson took four field goals in the five games he started, missing them all. He only connected on two free throws during this time giving him two points total for the five-games.
The OKC Thunder lost four of these five games and Ferguson was banished back to the bench. He would only play more than 17 minutes twice for the final two and a half months of the season. This included the last game where he played 25 minutes prior to the playoffs.
Then, in the intense six-game series against the Utah Jazz, Ferguson would play a cumulative six minutes in three games. He only had three points, one assist, and one rebound. However, things were going to get better in his second season.