A star is emerging in Oklahoma City and that star is 20-year-old guard Terrance Ferguson.
It took a midnight phone call and a lengthy meet up from the former MVP in Russell Westbrook that has turned a season that looked like it was going down hill with a speed that was beginning to be worrying for the Thunder organization into a break out season for the young Thunder guard that has made him an untouchable asset.
Terrance Ferguson was on his way to the gym after one of the Thunder’s tough losses, and he got a call from Russell Westbrook.
“Where you at?” Westbrook asked.
Ferguson told Westbrook and he responded, “OK, I’ll be there in 20.”
“He could have went out to dinner,” Ferguson said, “he could have went home after a bad game, he could have done anything. But it was like, ‘ I ’m going to meet you at the gym, we’re going to talk, we’re going to get through this together.’ … That means a lot.” Via newsok.com:
After that middle of the night talk with Westbrook Ferguson has developed into a fantastic three and D player for the Thunder shooting 43.7 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from three-point range. The Thunder have been crying out for more shooters aside from Paul George who is at 44.7 percent from the field and 40.2 from three-point range. The development of Ferguson has been a fantastic weapon for coach Billy Donovan and former MVP Russell Westbrook who has been a woeful shooter this season as he is shooting 24.7 percent from three-point range. To go along with his fantastic shooting Ferguson has developed into a terrific defender that has filled the massive hole on defense that was left behind last season by Andre Roberson who got injured in January last season.
The development of Ferguson on both sides of the ball has made the Oklahoma City Thunder an elite defense that sits as a top two defense in the league. Ferguson’s developing shooting skills has the Thunder climbing the three-point shooting ranks after being the 26th ranked three-point shooting team in the league in the month of December the Thunder are now sitting 23rd and 0.1 percent away from entering into the top 20 in the NBA and its because of Ferguson’s development as a shooter that has seen the Thunder turn their shooting woes slowly around.
Terrance Ferguson’s next step in his development is doing this for the rest of the season and throughout the playoffs. Ferguson has made himself a permantent starter even when Andre Roberson returns the three-point shooting Ferguson has developed gives the Thunder something Roberson can’t give which is space for Westbrook and George to work and the gap in skills on defense between Roberson and Ferguson is diwindling game by game.
General Manager Sam Presti has done it again and found a gem in Terrance Ferguson hopefully he can continue to grow and become a genuine star in the Oklahoma City Thunder solar system that already has superstars like Russell Westbrook and Paul George.