Double trouble
Terrance Ferguson gives the Thunder’s opponents a game on both sides of the ball.
The right corner of Thunder coach Billy Donovan’s mouth pulled up into the first real smile he had flashed all news conference.
“He was great tonight,” Donovan said of Terrance Ferguson at the first mention of his name, not waiting for the end of the question.
Most of Sunday night’s postgame news conference on the Thunder’s 116-98 loss to the Wizards was a laundry list of things OKC could have done better. But the last question let Donovan talk about Ferguson’s defense.
When three-time All-Defensive Team selection Paul George isn’t guarding the opposing team’s
best offensive player, Ferguson has become the Thunder’s go-to guy. His development on that side of the floor since last season has been dramatic, and it has helped the Thunder become the most efficient defensive team (101.7 defensive rating) in the NBA even without Andre Roberson, the anchor of last season’s defense.
Before the Thunder’s 111-109 win at Portland on Friday, Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts was asked what makes OKC so tough defensively. Along with George and Russell Westbrook’s steals and Steven Adams’ presence in the middle, he mentioned Ferguson’s athleticism.
A year ago, that comment would have seemed out of place.
The Thunder had played the Trail Blazers, Ferguson had played under 16 minutes off the bench in a 108-105 loss.
A minute and a half into that game, Ferguson faced Portland’s Evan Turner in a defensive stance. Turner slowed, and Ferguson’s shoes squeaked as he switched his weight back and forth from one to another. Turner passed to his right, took off to his left, and Ferguson lost him as he ran into a screen.
It took Roberson pointing it out on film for Ferguson to realize he had “happy feet.”
“Throughout the whole summer,” Ferguson said, “I’m talking about the whole summer, I was working on always keeping my feet still.”
When the Thunder played Portland this season, Ferguson wasn’t matched up on a guy like Turner. Donovan charged him with guarding CJ McCollum, who is averaging just under 21 points per game this season, for much of the night. He shot 4-of-15 against the Thunder on Friday.
Ferguson brought his still feet into Sunday’s game and put a smile on Donovan’s face even after the team as a whole struggled defensively.
Midway through the third quarter, Ferguson faced Washington’s Bradley Beal in the right corner, the Thunder guard’s feet angled toward the baseline. Beal pulled the ball to his left, and Ferguson shifted his feet in one motion. He stayed in front of Beal as he took one dribble, and Ferguson threw his hands in the air as Beal tossed up a shot. Short.
Ferguson gave Beal such a headache that Donovan left him in for 34 minutes. When Ferguson wasn’t on the floor in the first quarter, Beal went on a scoring spree. He scored seven points in the last minute and 10 seconds of that period.
“He really worked hard,” Donovan said of Ferguson Sunday night. “He did a great job on McCollum the other night in Portland. He did a great job on Beal . ... If someone’s going to take 27 shots to get 25 points, that’s a pretty good defensive night.”