Terrance Ferguson took the unconventional route of opting to play overseas instead of staying stateside for his collegiate career. Where does he rank in terms of the prospects in this year’s NBA Draft class?
Who Is Terrance Ferguson?
Deviating from the tried and true path is never an easy decision for those who have their sights on entering the NBA. For Terrance Ferguson, going against conventional wisdom was a decision he felt was worth taking.
At this point, the story regarding Ferguson may be more well known to the casual fan who isn’t well versed with the college game than what he has to offer on the court.
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Playing for both Prime Prep Academy and Advanced Prep Academy, Ferguson made a name for himself in the amateur ranks as he became a five-star recruit in his class, a McDonald’s All-American and a three-time gold medalist playing as a part of Team USA.
With those accomplishments in hand, Ferguson was sought after by many schools across the country before making commitments to the University of Alabama and later, the University of Arizona.
But when the opportunity arose to play professionally overseas after his glowing performance at the Nike Hoop Summit in the spring of 2016, it was one Ferguson couldn’t turn down.
So following in the footsteps of former Bucks player Brandon Jennings and Denver Nuggets point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, Ferguson spurned his commitment to Arizona and took his talents down under to spend the year playing for the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League in Australia.
While Ferguson went through his inevitable ups and downs during his time with the 36ers, it’s a decision Ferguson has explicitly said he has no regrets in making. Now we’ll see the effects of that gamble with this year’s draft fast approaching.
So with all that in mind, it’s time we take a deeper look at Ferguson’s strengths, weaknesses and much more.
Strengths
Nicknamed “2K,” Ferguson possesses an incredible athleticism and there’s no shortage of the eye-popping dunks he’s been able to pull off at the various stages of his career.
While he’s able to add to his already long highlight reel at a moment’s notice, Ferguson is capable of putting his athleticism to good use on both ends of the floor.
From that standpoint, the hope regarding Ferguson is that he has the skills that’s necessary to become a 3-and-D wing and there’s no shortage of teams looking for that type of player in today’s NBA.
Secondly, Ferguson’s potential as a knockdown shooter adds to his allure as a prospect. It should be noted, though, that Ferguson struggled to shoot the ball in his limited, but consistent role with the 36ers as he posted meager shooting splits of 38.1/31.3/60 in his 30 games of action.
At this point, Ferguson’s potential as a shooter surely needs some refinement, but there’s enough of a sample size dating back to his time in high school that he can certainly be a microwave-like shooter at the very least.
Weaknesses
While his age stands as a positive factor in his appeal as a prospect, Ferguson is incredibly raw in almost all areas of his game.
There’s the obvious concerns over Ferguson’s physical frame as he’s especially slim weighing in at 184 lbs. Although that can eventually be improved upon over time, the questions over Ferguson’s feel for the game may be more worrisome.
It’s fair to say Ferguson relies more on his athleticism at this point in his career and his awareness on both ends of the floor will be in major need of fine tuning when he reaches the next level.
Despite having potential as an intriguing heat check-type shooter, there’s definitely a question of how dynamic of a scorer Ferguson can become. At this stage, Ferguson’s effectiveness shooting the ball is primarily limited to catch-and-shoot opportunities.
That speaks to his ball-handling ability, which is very much a work in progress at this point. As a result, Ferguson will have to make major strides in being able to create his own shot, no matter the situation.
What The Experts Say
(as of 5/19/17)
Draft Express (Jonathan Givony): 25th
ESPN (Chad Ford): 16th
The Ringer (Kevin O’Connor/Danny Chau/Jonathan Tjarks): 17th
Sporting News (Sam Vecenie): 12th
The Step Back (Trevor Magnotti and Chris Stone): 23rd
Quotes:
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer succinctly summed up where Ferguson is at in his development and what teams will have to expect should they take him in the draft on June 22nd:
"“A superb athlete with extremely streaky shooting ability, though he’s a long-term project and must learn the details of the game.”"
Talking to Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel at the NBA Draft Combine last week, Ferguson detailed what he learned the most off the court during his time in Australia:
"“Just learning the basics of being a professional,” Ferguson said, “which is just take care of your body, the recovery, the food you put in your body and take care of your money, spending right and being smart with it.”"
Fit With The Bucks
Regarding his potential fit with the Milwaukee Bucks, there’s no doubt Ferguson checks a few boxes they’ll seemingly be looking for this summer.
Despite making major strides with their three-point shooting this season, the Bucks could still stand to add more perimeter shooters, given how the team is structured. On top of that, it certainly would be fascinating to add an athletic talent like Ferguson and have him play within the type of roster the Bucks have assembled over the last few seasons.
But even considering the type of upside Ferguson possesses, it’s hard to ignore how far he is from realizing his full potential. There’s certainly the obvious concerns about Ferguson that quickly come to mind, but even the strengths (i.e. his three-point shooting) that he’s expected to bring immediately to a team need to be polished even further.
To his credit, Ferguson already has a leg up on most prospects in his class with having to deal with the jump in physicality that they’ll experience in the NBA due to his time in the NBL this year. Even being familiar with having to go against the stout defenders that are prevalent in the NBA, the questions over Ferguson’s strength will be a sore spot for him until he proves otherwise.
The same goes for Ferguson’s struggles to create his own shot and with the Bucks facing the same problem throughout the season, it’s tough to see Ferguson moving the needle in that regard.
Next: NBA Draft 2017 Prospect Watch: Lonzo Ball
No matter what, Ferguson has the makings of being an electric player once he reaches the NBA. With that said, the jury is still out over whether he could be a possible difference maker should he catch the attention of the Bucks’ front office.