Ferguson might be starter against Clippers
LOS ANGELES — In a corner of the Mo Ostin Basketball Center on Thursday, Terrance Ferguson did his duty — push-ups for missed free throws — along with Alex Abrines.
Maybe that’s where Ferguson gets his juice in L.A.
“It was just a point to prove to myself,” Ferguson said of his first two NBA starts, which came against the Lakers and Clippers last season. Ferguson scored a combined 35 points in those games.
“I wanted to go out and make a good impression on the team, give the impression that they could trust me when I’m
on the floor, whether it’s good defense or knocking down shots when I’m open.”
For now, coach Billy Donovan trusts Ferguson more than the array of wings at his disposal. Will Ferguson flash against the Clippers on Friday or will the sirens continue to sound for more of his minutes to shift to Hamidou Diallo and Alex Abrines?
The shooting guard minutes were always going to be a time share in Andre Roberson’s absence. As Roberson continues to rehab from his left knee surgery, Donovan will have to figure out how to distribute minutes among his wing options — Ferguson, Diallo, Abrines, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Abdel Nader — alongside Paul George.
Donovan liked Ferguson enough to start him 12 times last year when Roberson was hurt, and will presumably start him again on Friday.
“For me, and this is not anything against the other guys, but his reliability, his attention to detail, his focus, his concentration, I feel good about that,” Donovan said when asked why he’s started with Ferguson. “It’s not that I don’t feel good about those things with the other guys, but I really feel like he meshes really well as a starter.”
Maybe it’s best that Ferguson is in Los Angeles. Three of Ferguson’s top four scoring games of his career have come against the Lakers or Clippers, including a career-high 24-point performance Jan. 3 against the Lakers in a 133-96 Thunder blowout at Staples Center.
Since then, however, Ferguson has had struggles common to a young player finding his footing in the NBA: one of the highest foul rates (26.5 percent) at his position, and a 108.5 defensive rating (points per 100 possessions) that was second-worst on the Thunder last season only to Corey Brewer.
Underneath Ferguson’s 0-of-2 shooting night against Golden State, however, was his sound defense on Klay Thompson.
The All-Star scored one tough jump shot on five attempts in 30 possessions in which Ferguson was the primary defender, per NBA.com.
But now, Ferguson faces Diallo, a teammate who’s also 20 and explosive, but with good feel for a rookie and a body frame that’s better tailored for the demands of the position, particularly on defense.
Still, Ferguson considers Diallo like a brother — not a little brother, he stresses, as Ferguson is only 75 days older.
“We play the same position, so we have to guard the same players, so I’m trying to teach him the easy ways to guard players without fouling, move your feet, how you get over screens,” Ferguson said. “I’m just trying to pass down knowledge on the court, off the court, just trying to help him out in getting adjusted to this league.”
When the Warriors started to stagger Thompson’s minutes away from Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, Donovan said he felt the Thunder needed a defensive presence in the game. In 10 possessions with Diallo as the primary defender, Thompson shot 3-of-8.
As no slight to Nader or Luwawu-Cabarrot, Donovan felt Diallo was the best resource the Thunder had.
Then, as if it wasn’t apparent by the eye test, Donovan went even deeper into Diallo’s value.
“The reality is we need Hami to be a reliable defender and stopper when we need him with Andre being out,” Donovan said. “You’re playing against a team with a lot of firepower in Golden State, you’ve just got to have a lot of solid matchups. I thought if there was switching involved, if there were individual matchups, that Hami was the best guy at that time, and also trying to help him develop out as a player.”
Donovan doesn’t go into any game with a plan for minutes distribution. Then what does determine who plays the bulk of the minutes at shooting guard?
“Just whatever I feel is best for the team,” Donovan said.
As of preseason and one game, Diallo and Abrines have looked like more lively options on offense than Ferguson. Nader and Luwawu-Cabarrot are still unknowns. Then again, Ferguson might find that L.A. magic, which would make Donovan’s decision look a lot better.