Thunder’s Terrance Ferguson all grown up at age 20
Thunder sophomore Terrance Ferguson walked into the interview room Monday at the team’s Media Day, and you immediately noticed a difference. Ferguson seemed bigger. The baby face was gone.
Maybe that’s what happens when a young man leaves his teen years.
Ferguson, the Thunder’s 2017 first-round draft pick, was a 19-year-old rookie last season, weighing 184 pounds. He played in 61 games, averaged 3.1 points and shot 33.3 percent from 3-point range.
Now the 6-foot-7 Ferguson weighs 190. He struggled as the team leader and offensive focal point on the Thunder’s summer league team. And on Oct. 7, in an exhibition game against the Atlanta Hawks, Ferguson will play in his hometown of Tulsa, where he lived until moving to the Dallas area for high school.
Ferguson answered questions at Thunder Media Day.
Q: What would you say is the biggest change in your game from your rookie year?
A: “Definitely my body, and that's how I spent my summer, just focusing on my body each and every day, and then also my decision making, making plays for myself, making plays for others, which I worked all summer on with Darko” Rajakovic, a Thunder assistant coach.
The Summer League was kind of an uncomfortable experience for you, you were playing in a role that was a little bit different. Was that almost a learning experience for you? Were you able to glean certain aspects from your experience?
“Most definitely. Like you said, it was definitely uncomfortable, and at times I was like, ‘I don't want to do this,’ but I thought about it, and I felt like to be victorious, you've always got to fail. People who fail a lot always come out on top, so I took that as a learning experience and I kept working, and I'm doing the same thing now, but I feel way more comfortable at it.”
You were a 19-year-old rookie this time last year. Now you've got a full season behind you. On a personal level, how much more comfortable and confident do you feel?
"You know, once you get a year under your belt, you always feel more comfortable. Last year was definitely new to me, obviously playing my first year, but coming into this year, 20 years old, having a year under my belt, definitely feel more confident, more focused, changing my body up, changing my eating habits up, and I've got a little girl on the way, so that changing up my whole focus, as well.”
Looking ahead to your game in Tulsa, what's the excitement level there, and how has your fan base grown being from the area?
“I'm always excited to go back home to Tulsa. I was there not too long ago visiting the Gathering Place, and about that Tulsa trip, I'm going to need like 10 tickets — probably 20. I'm going to need a lot of tickets for that Tulsa trip.”