Oklahoma City Thunder receive okay grade from ESPN’s Chad Ford
The Oklahoma City Thunder selected Terrance Ferguson with the 21st overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, receiving an okay grade from ESPN‘s Chad Ford.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had a relatively quiet 2017 NBA Draft. They had only one selection, No 21, in the draft. They didn’t make any trades during the draft. Instead, they stuck with the 21st pick.
With that selection, the Thunder selected “international” shooting guard, Terrance Ferguson. Ferguson is considered an international prospect because he played last season in Australia after deciding to not play at the University of Arizona.
Ferguson played for Adelaide last season, but the results weren’t great. Ferguson struggled to adapt to play overseas and it showed in his statistics. He played in 30 games for Adelaide, starting 17 of them. However, he played only 15.2 minutes per game, putting up averages of 4.6 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.
Where Ferguson really disappointed was in his three-point shooting. His strength is supposed to be his three-point shooting and floor-stretching ability, but in Australia, Ferguson made only 31.1 percent of his three-pointers and 38.1 percent of his shots overall.
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The Thunder are hoping that Ferguson can get his stroke back once he returns stateside. He would fill a need immediately for Oklahoma City, as they desperately need players to help stretch the floor so Russell Westbrook can operate.
What the Thunder will also like about Ferguson is his length and defensive ability. He fits the mold of the type of wing player that Oklahoma City normally targets. The Thunder could find themselves needing that skill-set right off the bat, especially if they are unable to retain restricted free agent Andre Roberson.
This was an interesting pick for the Thunder. Based on their salary cap and roster structure, they look like a team that is going for it right now. The question remains: How much Ferguson will be able to contribute right off the bat?
There were other wing players, such as Semi Ojeleye available that probably would have been able to contribute sooner than Ferguson. If they are gunning for a high-upside prospect, someone such as Indiana’s OG Anunoby may have been a better fit. Anunoby may have spend most of his rookie season recuperating, but he is one arguably the best three-and-D prospect in this year’s draft class.
Ferguson is a high risk, high reward prospect. There were safer options available, but not many had higher ceilings, which was what played into ESPN‘s Chad Ford grade for the Thunder.
Ford gave the Thunder a B- for their 2017 NBA Draft. Here is what he had to say about the selection of Ferguson at No. 21.
"“The Thunder swung for the fences with Ferguson. He has the size, athleticism and jump shot to be a very good NBA wing. But teams were turned off after poor workouts and questions about why he left Arizona to play pro ball in Australia.“If his performance in the NBA is anything like it was in the Nike Hoop Summit, the Thunder got great value here. He seems like a boom-or-bust prospect.”"
There were some mock drafts that had Ferguson going in the bottom of the lottery; instead, he slipped into the early 20s on draft night. Poor workouts, as Ford noted, are an easy way for a prospect’s draft stock to plummet.
One thing working in Ferguson’s favor is that there is some positive tape of him already available. If the Thunder can coax that kind of performance out if him, they could have quite the player on their hands.
Next: 2017 NBA Draft Grades for all 30 teams
Oklahoma City Thunder has to get creative to add talent around Westbrook as they are handcuffed salary cap-wise. The draft is the easiest way to find affordable talent, and the Thunder are hoping they have found another building block in Ferguson.