NBA Comparison: Terrence Ross/James White

Strengths: Ferguson has been somewhat forgotten over the past year as a result of his decision to forgo a season of college basketball and continue his career overseas for the Adelaide 36ers in Australia … However, Ferguson has been an electrifying player since his high school days where he finished as a top-20 national recruit and was selected for several prestigious high school all-star games including the McDonald’s All-American Game and the Nike Hoop Summit (where he went on a 3 point shooting barrage) … Ferguson’s combination of size and explosiveness immediately stand out and highlight his potential as an impactful NBA player … While he does not have elite length (6-9 wingspan), he has nice size for an NBA wing player at 6-7 … He also moves up and down the court with excellent fluidity with long strides and a quick, explosive first step … Where Ferguson particularly stands out, however, is his tremendous leaping ability in space, particularly off of one foot … He posted a 38” max vertical at the NBA Combine, and it is also worth noting that he won the Ballislife All-American Dunk Contest back in April 2015, after performing a free-throw line dunk … He has great straight line burst, which allows him to build momentum on his way to the basket and finish above the rim with ease … Ferguson’s athleticism comes into play in half court offense as well … Although, he is not a great shot creator, he gets great elevation on his mid range jumper and is able to shoot over the top of most defenders … He employs this ability frequently when working out of the post where he can face the basket and rise up for a routine jumper … This also gives him plenty of upside as a rebounder, and while he still has work to do to become a reliable factor on the glass, he has good motor and the necessary explosiveness to eventually be a consistent contributor in this area … He will especially be more effective on the boards as his frame fills out and he continues to get stronger, but he does a terrific job of compensating for his current lack of strength by almost always finding a man to box out when the shot goes up … Ferguson is also an excellent spot up shooter with potential for even further improvement with more repetition … He shot a very respectable 38.7% from distance this past season overseas, and he has great footwork before the catch with great elevation and a quick release … His shoulders are consistently squared to the basket, and he is almost always on balance when coming off  screens … His ability to get his feet under him and step into his shot with confidence before rising is picturesque … Ferguson also has decent upside as a defender thanks to his lateral quickness and competitiveness … He has terrific feet, can cover a lot of ground, and does well to stay in front of smaller players … While he lacks the requisite strength to be an interior defensive presence, he competes for position down low and does not back down against bigger players … He shows good skill in defending isolation on the perimeter, as he has good hip fluidity, and he works hard to force difficult shots … He also demonstrates great effort chasing shooters off of the three-point line, and he will press full court occasionally … There is still plenty of room for Ferguson to grow as well … Offensively, he shows flashes of playmaking ability and has some potential as a pull-up shooter too … On defense, once he improves his instincts he could become a real asset on that end of the floor as he already does a great job of flying around the ball and being active …

Weaknesses: One of the biggest concerns right now for Ferguson, as mentioned earlier, is his lack of an ideal frame … He checked in at the Combine at just 184 pounds, which causes him to struggle containing bigger guards … He also can get pushed out of position pretty easily and get caught on screens … This also causes him to get pushed out of his spots on offense, as he often is not able to get all the way to the rim without an open lane … Against bigger guards and wings, he allows his man to go right through him most times without showing much resistance … He also can be too upright, which somewhat mitigates his lateral quickness and athleticism … Even though he is competitive with big men down low on switches, he is too thin to be a true threat when defending them … On offense he is easily knocked off balance when going to the basket, and he shies away from contact, limiting his size advantage … Ferguson also rarely gets to the free-throw line (2.2 FTA per 40 minutes), and he still needs to refine his in between game to become a better all-around offensive threat … His ball handling skills are very limited, and he struggles to create space, especially against better defenders … Right now he is limited to mostly catch and shoot offense and straight line drives … He also has much room for improvement as a passer and initiating offense, as he turns the ball over much more frequently than he registers assists … As common for a young player, his feel for the game and instincts on both ends are just average … He averaged just 0.4 steals and 0.7 blocks per 40 minutes, which are numbers that should probably be much higher given his tools … He tends to get lost off the ball on defense, and tends to force a lot of passes as well instead of making the simple play … As a shooter Ferguson must become more consistent … This will probably determine if he becomes a solid contributor in the NBA … With his other limitations, he must be able to knock down perimeter shots consistently … He sometimes shoots on the way down, despite his excellent elevation on his jump shot, and he is a relatively poor free throw shooter (58.3%) …

Notes: Measured 6′ 5.5” barefoot, 6′ 7” in shoes, 184.4 lbs, 6′ 8.75” wingspan and  8′ 7” standing reach at the 2017 NBA Draft Combine … Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ferguson moved to Dallas, Texas as a youth and enrolled at Prime Prep Academy … He joined the school’s basketball team and played for coach Ray Forsett…ranked No. 11 overall in the Class of 2016’s ESPN 100…starter for East squad in McDonald’s All-American Game…won Ballislife All-American Game Dunk Contest…originally committed to play for Alabama, but then committed to Arizona before deciding to play for the Adelaide 36ers in Australia.

William P. Desautelle III 6/13/17

Strengths: 6’7 high flying and sharp shooting guard … Good size for a wing … Knock down three point shooter. Gets great elevation on his shot and can shoot from NBA range … Very effective in catch and shoot situations … Gets his feet set quickly and doesn’t have any wasted motion in his shot … Tremendous one foot leaper … Strong on ball defender … Very active and shows great commitment to the defensive end … Takes pride in guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter player … Very good team player … Highly unselfish, takes smart shots … Plays within the flow of the offense … Plays within himself, doesn’t force his offense or get discouraged if he’s not the one taking the shots. Buys into the game plan and understands how the game should be played … Likable personality. Enjoys being on the court with his team …

Weaknesses: Although he has incredible athleticism, he rarely shows it in a game especially in a half court set. Needs to get a lot stronger to make plays through contact … Lacks much in the way of a midrange game … Needs to improve as a ball handler and his playmaking ability … Doesn’t have much wiggle or creativity on offense … He’s a straight line driver and doesn’t break down the defense … Doesn’t have a wide variety to his scoring arsenal … Doesn’t provide much offensively if his shot isn’t falling … He plays well within the offense, but isn’t the type to put the team on his back and score in bunches in times of desperation … Can be passive at times. While the majority of the time (in high school) he’s been both the best athlete and best shooter on the floor, he doesn’t always assert himself as the best player on the floor …

Outlook: YouTube sensation Terrance Ferguson is taking the step of playing professional basketball in Australia instead of playing for Arizona … Unlike Emmanuel Mudiay, Ferguson isn’t quite a surefire one and done prospect … He had a standout high school career playing for Prime Prep and Advanced Prep International, also represented Team USA as well as being a McDonald’s All American …

Evan Tomes 7/20/16