	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER MEDIA CONFERENCE

April 25, 2019

Terrance Ferguson

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Q. Terrance, you kind of got thrown into the fire at the start early. Played sparingly as a rookie last year, and this year you were thrown into the fire. What was that process like? Did it kind of feel like an extended rookie? Markieff even said he thought you were still a rookie when you got here.
TERRANCE FERGUSON: That's messed up (laughter). It was definitely a bigger and different role for me. Coming into the season, I worked my butt off in the off-season. So I was expecting something big. I wasn't expecting anything that big, not starting, especially for the whole season, being 20 years old, second season. It was a very different role, but I took the mindset it was business. I had to step up to the job and do it to the best I could. I felt like, look, most of the season, I did that job well.

Q. Do you think it would be kind of like a blessing in disguise, because you did make quite a leap. You were shooting the ball at a high level, playing defense at a high level. Do you think just kind of being thrown into the fire is going to make it that much better in year three for you?
TERRANCE FERGUSON: Just playing in the NBA, period, is a blessing, but like you said, having those things under my belt, going into year three, it's always a different mindset and always a different summer. So I'll just work my butt off this summer, add to my game, add to whatever I did this year, watch film, see what I can do better, and come to year three with the mindset of I want to take off.

Q. Are you going to play summer league this year?
TERRANCE FERGUSON: I don't know. I want to speak to my agent, speak with Sam, speak with Billy, and just come up with a decision.

Q. You played almost three times the minutes you did your rookie year. It didn't seem like that bothered you. How do you feel like you prepared yourself physically every night and were able to kind of get through that grind for kind of the first real time in your career?
TERRANCE FERGUSON: I'm glad during the summer I stayed in shape because, like you said, playing three times the minutes I played last year, if I didn't stay in shape and working my body, it definitely would have taken a toll on me. In the weight room, our strength coaches, our training staff, they were always protecting my body. So I felt like it helped me play all 82 games plus.

Q. There's only so much you can really improve on during the season, but now that you look back, kind of take stock, you have the summer in front of you, where defensively do you feel like, okay, if I could work on a few little things here or there, I have the chance to even make that next step forward defensively?
TERRANCE FERGUSON: I feel like -- shoot, last summer, my whole focus was on keeping my feet still. I know I jump around a lot, and I know coming into this season I did a pretty well job of doing that, you know, keeping my feet still, not jumping around. And now just building my body up, and the physicality of the game definitely took a toll on me just because I'm so skinny. So build my body up, working guard one through four, if we're switching, and just those simple things.

Q. Just your overall impression of just your growth this season?
TERRANCE FERGUSON: I feel like I did a really well job. Like I said, coming into the season, a new role, a bigger role, stepping to the plate, and to be able to do that, to be able to start the whole season without getting taken out of the starting lineup or anything, I feel like I just had to do my job pretty well. Coach had a confidence in me. My teammates had a confidence in me. I had a confidence in myself, so I feel like my overall growth, it definitely stepped up a notch.

Q. Paul was saying that he talked to you about the transition from year two to year three because that was so big for him. What was the biggest thing that you took from that conversation?
TERRANCE FERGUSON: Just the summer, you know. That summer is huge. Like you said, that's the time where you can really work on your game, really add, really focus on your body, the foods you eat, you know, just a lot of simple things. He said that was a huge step inside his career and I'm taking whatever advice he gives me on the court, off the court, doesn't matter what it has to deal with, I'm taking that advice because to see the player he is, the player he became, I'm trying to be on that level.

Q. Terrance, last year in Vegas, the big focus with your ball was the Thunder putting the ball in your hands being the point guard. Is that still the focus, the main focus, other than the obvious shooting defense, just the ball handling and your ability to grow that in your game?
TERRANCE FERGUSON: Oh, yeah, most definitely. I feel like even this year I showed certain spurts. Me and J.G. shot the pick-and-roll a couple times, I twist the screen, go downhill, either dish it off or have a lay-in. So I felt like summer league really got me prepared for that because last year I probably dribbled the ball twice total the whole year. So I feel like I made a big jump doing that, and I can only add so much more.

Q. Have you worked out with Ray over the summer before?
TERRANCE FERGUSON: Ray is a pretty busy guy. I'm going to try to catch him this summer over in Dallas, but Ray, he's got a family. He's everywhere. We're going to try to train together this time.

Q. He seemed pretty excited about working out with you.
TERRANCE FERGUSON: We already talked about it. We talked about it since the beginning of the season, just talking about getting inside the gym this summer. He's really trying to extend my game, and I love what he sees inside my future. I'm all in with it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297