2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th

Post #21 » by **ThunderBolt** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 2:20 am

Terrance Ferguson may not be as good as jimmy butler.

getrichordie · Post #22 » by **getrichordie** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 2:23 am

Knrstz wrote:Terrance Ferguson may not be as good as jimmy butler.

Nah, he’s not gonna be. I get the feeling he’s gonna be out of the league in 3 years. He just seems like a deer in headlights bouncing around. Too thin to actually play meaningful defense.

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Post #23 » by **ThunderBolt** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 2:35 am

Everyone keeps raving about burton and he didn’t even crack the lineup in a preseason game. He may end up being the antithesis of Ferguson.

Post #24 » by **slick_watts** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 2:46 am

Knrstz wrote:Everyone keeps raving about burton and he didn’t even crack the lineup in a preseason game. He may end up being the antithesis of Ferguson.

he's 24, was undrafted, and played in korea last year. he might have a worse resume than josh huestis. but i guess on a team where semaj christon played nearly 1000 minutes, i wouldn't be shocked if he got a look.

getrichordie · Post #25 » by **getrichordie** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 3:13 am

Grant. 1/9 from the floor.
Noel. 2/7 from the floor.

Worth monitoring. They need to be able to get put backs and finish easy buckets.

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Old Man Game · Post #26 » by **Old Man Game** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 4:15 am

Knrstz wrote:Terrance Ferguson may not be as good as jimmy butler.

I'm not going to say he sucks based on 1 preseason game plus what we saw from him last year. So, this is me NOT saying he sucks.

Old Man Game · Post #27 » by **Old Man Game** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 4:16 am

Ham Diallo had one of the worst fast breaks I've seen in a few years. He went 1 on 2 and pulled up from the foul line and appeared to just graze the net (not even rim from what I could tell). It was rook-tastic.

getrichordie · Post #28 » by **getrichordie** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 4:23 am

Old Man Game wrote:Ham Diallo had one of the worst fast breaks I've seen in a few years. He went 1 on 2 and pulled up from the foul line and appeared to just graze the net (not even rim from what I could tell). It was rook-tastic.

I think for some players the game slows down for them sooner rather than later. The game has to slow down for Young Ham and I think he will be able to hit those shots. Right now he is the definition of a rookie guard.

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Thundershock88 · Post #29 » by **Thundershock88** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 5:10 am

Not much to say. Shroder/Adams combo looked good though.

RalphSampsonJr · Post #30 » by **RalphSampsonJr** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 5:46 am

Man i hope PG stays healthy this season.. okcs wing talent is just awful.
If Robes doesnt come back to at least 85-90% then its gonna be a real issue.
TLC doesnt look like the shooter i hopes he would be

Pillendreher · Post #31 » by **Pillendreher** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 7:36 am

Replay is here

https://www.nba.com/thunder/live

Post #32 » by **ThunderBolt** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 10:09 am

slick_watts wrote:
Knrstz wrote:Everyone keeps raving about burton and he didn’t even crack the lineup in a preseason game. He may end up being the antithesis of Ferguson.

he's 24, was undrafted, and played in korea last year. he might have a worse resume than josh huestis. but i guess on a team where semaj christon played nearly 1000 minutes, i wouldn't be shocked if he got a look.

All I’m saying is give the guy ten minutes in a preseason game. Robert covington was undrafted too.

Post #33 » by **ThunderBolt** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 10:40 am

Old Man Game wrote:
Knrstz wrote:Terrance Ferguson may not be as good as jimmy butler.

I'm not going to say he sucks based on 1 preseason game plus what we saw from him last year. So, this is me NOT saying he sucks.

He could still be a decent player even by the end of this year. He did make both threes he took too...but yeah it would be nice to see a little more from him sooner rather than later.

Pillendreher · Post #34 » by **Pillendreher** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 11:21 am

Knrstz wrote:
Old Man Game wrote:
Knrstz wrote:Terrance Ferguson may not be as good as jimmy butler.

I'm not going to say he sucks based on 1 preseason game plus what we saw from him last year. So, this is me NOT saying he sucks.

He could still be a decent player even by the end of this year. He did make both threes he took too...but yeah it would be nice to see a little more from him sooner rather than later.

I just don't understand why they keep treating him like a surefire thing. He still can't do anything offensively but hit the occasional 3 here and there and make the open attempt at the rim. Shouldn't he be able to dribble towards the basket at some point? And defensively he's trying, but he's not winning any awards on that side of the floor either.

Post #35 » by **slick_watts** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 11:44 am

Pillendreher wrote:
Knrstz wrote:
Old Man Game wrote:
I'm not going to say he sucks based on 1 preseason game plus what we saw from him last year. So, this is me NOT saying he sucks.

He could still be a decent player even by the end of this year. He did make both threes he took too...but yeah it would be nice to see a little more from him sooner rather than later.

I just don't understand why they keep treating him like a surefire thing. He still can't do anything offensively but hit the occasional 3 here and there and make the open attempt at the rim. Shouldn't he be able to dribble towards the basket at some point? And defensively he's trying, but he's not winning any awards on that side of the floor either.

they are playing him because they know he's really the only wing on the team with any sort of semi-realistic chance of developing into a decent player. is there any other wing on the roster they are unsure about? i don't think so.

Pillendreher · Post #36 » by **Pillendreher** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 11:54 am

slick_watts wrote:
Pillendreher wrote:
Knrstz wrote:
He could still be a decent player even by the end of this year. He did make both threes he took too...but yeah it would be nice to see a little more from him sooner rather than later.

I just don't understand why they keep treating him like a surefire thing. He still can't do anything offensively but hit the occasional 3 here and there and make the open attempt at the rim. Shouldn't he be able to dribble towards the basket at some point? And defensively he's trying, but he's not winning any awards on that side of the floor either.

they are playing him because they know he's really the only wing on the team with any sort of semi-realistic chance of developing into a decent player.

I would appreciate development on his part. But unless he actually does get better, he doesn't deserve the current role they're giving him. Future potential 2, 3 years down the line doesn't mean that he should be this high in the pecking order right now.

slick_watts wrote:is there any other wing on the roster they are unsure about? i don't think so.

How should I know? I'm not part of the Thunder coaching staff. Rotation decisions have rarely made sense with Donovan outside of the starters.

Post #37 » by **slick_watts** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 12:04 pm

Pillendreher wrote:I would appreciate development on his part. But unless he actually does get better, he doesn't deserve the current role they're giving him. Future potential 2, 3 years down the line doesn't mean that he should be this high in the pecking order right now.

he started one preseason game. how do you know if he's developed any if you don't play him?

Pillendreher wrote:How should I know? I'm not part of the Thunder coaching staff. Rotation decisions have rarely made sense with Donovan outside of the starters.

where in the pecking order should ferguson be? he played fewer minutes than alex abrines last season, and was behind corey brewer also. if ferguson was the third wing behind abrines and TLC this year would you complain?

Old Man Game · Post #38 » by **Old Man Game** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 12:46 pm

slick_watts wrote:
Pillendreher wrote:
Knrstz wrote:
He could still be a decent player even by the end of this year. He did make both threes he took too...but yeah it would be nice to see a little more from him sooner rather than later.

I just don't understand why they keep treating him like a surefire thing. He still can't do anything offensively but hit the occasional 3 here and there and make the open attempt at the rim. Shouldn't he be able to dribble towards the basket at some point? And defensively he's trying, but he's not winning any awards on that side of the floor either.

they are playing him because they know he's really the only wing on the team with any sort of semi-realistic chance of developing into a decent player. is there any other wing on the roster they are unsure about? i don't think so.

Unsure about them internally within the organization? Not clear to me, but I think Diallo has at least as high a ceiling as Ferguson.

Pillendreher · Post #39 » by **Pillendreher** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 3:15 pm

slick_watts wrote:
Pillendreher wrote:I would appreciate development on his part. But unless he actually does get better, he doesn't deserve the current role they're giving him. Future potential 2, 3 years down the line doesn't mean that he should be this high in the pecking order right now.

he started one preseason game. how do you know if he's developed any if you don't play him?

It's not like they haven't seen him since April. He played in Summer League. Training camp started a week or so ago. They should know what he can and cannot do without him having to play.*

*I don't mind him playing. I do mind them treating him like he's a "sure thing" going forward. Minutes should be earned, not gifted because a player can jump and seems eager to learn.

slick_watts wrote:
Pillendreher wrote:How should I know? I'm not part of the Thunder coaching staff. Rotation decisions have rarely made sense with Donovan outside of the starters.

where in the pecking order should ferguson be? he played fewer minutes than alex abrines last season, and was behind corey brewer also. if ferguson was the third wing behind abrines and TLC this year would you complain?

Up until the end of December, Ferguson had played a total of 141 minutes; he didn't even see the floor 14 out of 35 times. And then Roberson goes down the 2nd time (he had missed two games a couple of weeks prior to this stretch) and Ferguson has "his LA game" and he's suddenly starting. He starts 7 out of the 8 games Roberson missed and his minutes skyrocket to 23 a game. Then Roberson goes down a 3rd and final time and they make him the starter yet again over the next 5 games. That's where Donovan's "It doesn't matter who starts" quote happened iirc.
And yes, following that loss to the Lakers, they didn't start him ever again and reduced his minutes (when did actually saw the floor) to 12 a game. But still: Taking a garbage time kid (because that's what he was) and suddenly making him a starter out of the freaking blue without even caring for the performance on the court (the Ferguson starters were at a -4 NetRtG in 236 minutes; that's a 18 points per 100 poss dropoff compared to the Roberson starters) requires a certain kind of standing within the squad. The Thunder have been hyping this kid since day one; every beat guy talks about how much they love him. And lo and behold, the first time he does something "special" on the court, they don't waste a second throwing him out there. They appear to be desperate for him to "explode on the court", to give him the biggest role they can find. But so far, it simply hasn't happened. And if a guy is shooting 30 something percent from 3, can't take it to the rim unless there's no opposing player present, has close to no playmaking ability and - while at least trying - is not having a defensive impact either, that's just unwarranted, period.

The Thunder treat Ferguson like I treat players I traded for on NBA 2K: As soon as I have them on the court, I try to do stuff with them they simply aren't capable of. And until Ferguson actually gets better, his role should be reduced accordingly.

Post #40 » by **slick_watts** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 3:19 pm

Pillendreher wrote:The Thunder treat Ferguson like I treat players I traded for on NBA 2K: As soon as I have them on the court, I try to do stuff with them they simply aren't capable of. And until Ferguson actually gets better, his role should be reduced accordingly.

thunder need to find value in ferguson since they eschewed possible deals to improve in the short term by not trading that pick / not trading ferguson himself. it's not like he's blocking anyone who may be vastly superior to him.

on a healthy team, ferg might not even get minutes. with andre out, does it really matter all that much?