I think he is too young and it is too early to say at this point but from everything I have seen he is a really good person so good luck to him.

36er's have beniftted by TF as he has drawn a lot of interest to the side $.

Is he ready to be drafted for the 2017 season?

I think he was implying ticket sales and media exposure - not direct cash from a promoter

Oh you're one of those forum posters who has to be right. All-The-Time. Cool story bro.

It's not wise to look at a bag of flower and predict the loaf of bread it's going to make.

Guys who have had solid 3 years of a solid college career come out here and struggle in their first season, so his performances don't surprise me. He's young in body and basketball IQ, but every now and then you see flashes of his potential.

Worst people have been picked in the top 25. He'd be a development project no doubt, but he has experience as a pro and playing against grown ass dudes.

Given the pathetic way that NCAA athletes get paid, I don't blame him for coming to Australia and earning some cheddar.

So in a broader basketball sense i disagree, but if you based it on how his signing was hyped I somewhat agree (you still have to sell the sizzle, even if the sausage isn't that great).

One thing I like about him is he plays within the system and doesn't fire up too many bad shots. Pretty rare for high profile imports, and pretty impressive considering his age.

Remember he's getting coached and not given minutes, he has to earn them the same as any player in the roster.

If he was given minutes like high school you would see scores to suit. You can see he will light it up quickly and then he doesnt get back on for some time.
D i think he goes OK too. I liked him on Lisch this week. Bigger and quicker.

Agreed Kingpodge

I think he's a great fit thus far.

The teams fortunes changed the minute he started getting Teys' minutes.....and it's for a lot more than his 6ppg.

I was very critical of Joey not starting him at the start of the year. He needs his coach to believe in him IMO.

He's 6'6-6'7, has a big wingspan can shoot da 3, he's a Reggie Miller/Kevin Durant sort of build and 3-point guy.
And he can dunk, his defence is reasonable. He doesn't offer much on passing/or rebounding, He's made a few a good shot blocks. He's a bit timid, he himself says he's a "skinny guy" and he's found the league so physical. He's just out of High School no need to expect a lot yet, As the God Father Joey Wright said, "Michael Jordan wasn't playing anymore than what TF is at 18".
At the end of the day if TF's future lies in being a Steve Kerr 3-point bomb of the bench for 15-min per game who cares, he'll still be a millionaire.
Steve Blake, a 25-min per guy NBA player made $30mill in his career, free eats take what ya can get.
TF is not going to be better than Michael Jordan or Le Bron sorry peeps.

Terrance Ferguson is going to be just fine. I think people are forgetting that this kid came straight from high school to the NBL. If you don't think that is a massive leap to take, you obviously think nothing of this league.

He was always going to take his lumps. And anyone with any brains knew he wasn't going to come in here and dominate from the outset. He wouldn't be on top import money, and I think his contract will pay itself off when his name is called in the NBA draft next year, followed by "From the Adelaide 36ers", and suddenly, all of these real prospects want to play for Joey Wright in Adelaide.


Has Terrance Ferguson been boom or bust? He hasn't really been either for me. He has done basically what I expected him to do. He plays hard, makes good decisions, seems to be steadily improving, and has bought into the system. He is doing everything you can ask of someone who is barely even an adult.

Ferguson will get drafted in the first round next year.

With Randle on 300K, Johnson probably on 200+ I really doubt Ferguson is on much. They barely could afford to use the salary cap as it is.

In terms of the topic's question - too early to know, but taking money while it's there isn't insane. Dante Exum was a known entity probably because he took a different angle, and that got him the money IMO. Now he has a paid trial by fire rather than going unpaid developing in college.

As others have said, Ferguson seems to play within a system and coachability is worth a bit. Has size and can shoot, so that's a start.

He could have floundered in college or suffered a serious injury. This way he gets something now at least.

Whether this was a good decision by the 36ers, that's a different call. Maybe a gamble that didn't pay off as well as expected? Or a way to get a big story on a budget. I agree that as it's played out, the club might've been better served by a reliable contributor, but it's harder to argue that when his side is top. Just as likely that they got a cancer who disrupted the team.

His numbers don't really push for more minutes though.
18 MPG, 6 PPG, 1 RPG, 1 APG. 40% FG, 38% 3P, 60% FT.

Hopefully they are working with him every day to build the intensity of his defence and to find him ways to score through his strengths.

This has nothing to do with demanding more minutes now for the 36ers. Its nothing about the 6ers making the right choice on the import, its about the choices he will make in 9 months time.

This is about Terrance Ferguson and where he will go in the NBA draft. Will he be ready to play in the NBA in 10 months time? On what I see, its a very safe no.

I don't care if he's 18, 19 or 22 years of age. Right now, his skill set have not demonstraghted he can take the next step. Ricky Rubio was dominating the Spanish league as a 18 year old.

He isn't ready to play in the NBA and if selected in the lottery, could cost an NBA team a good player. He is still 3 years away froim being ready.

He should spend 1 more year in Australia and develop his game. Therefore demanding more minutres and then showing his ablity to show and develop his ablity and skills. If not, this exercise will look like a waste of time.

I don't mind his game. For a kid he's been pretty composed over all. I understand people's frustration that he's taking up an import spot but we're not getting the traditional import numbers from him. I don't think Joey was expecting to. It's more about the potential for upside in a budget import. Not to mention the big picture! It's got the 36ers name in a lot of peoples minds, both here and in the US. It'll open doors in coming seasons for us bringing players in. Maybe other young unproven ones, but also maybe more traditional imports too.
If we weren't winning games there'd be a lot more questions to answer, but it seems that the way we're getting scoring spread across the team (something Randle said was the goal, preseason) is the gameplan we're running with and it's working. And TF's impact minutes, enthusiasm, a couple of threes and some decent defence are a part of that.

We probably would not have been able to afford that player you just described.

TF has been a calculated risk, and, as most here have been saying, the risk hasn't quite come off but it also hasn't been a complete waste.

We couldn't afford it with Jacobsen's import spot what makes you think we could with TF?

Josh Powell at Sydney is averaging 9.8pts for instance, do you think we could afford him? Probably not - and he's a former NBAer.

I didn't know he'd been signed for two. The things you learn...

TFerg will still be drafted. NBA scouts arent about to burn money constantly sending staff out if they didnt think he was worth a possible investment.

It's proven that a year overseas doesnt generally spurn sensational numbers (see Jennings, Mudiay), thats incredibly wishful thinking they would dominate playing against grown men and higher IQ players off the bat.

No doubt it'll hold them in good stead when they do enter the professional system, because they are already there.

He still has the tools that scouts search for. Height, athleticism, some skill and a great attitude. The rest they can develop in their own time.

I think he's stock may have dropped, but i anticipate he will still go in the mid to late first round.
Then again Exum went #5 on the back of essentially nothing and Maker went top 10 as a gamble. So anything could happen.

That's the first I've heard of Ferguson signing for 2 years so the 36ers will get a buyout payment from an NBA team.

I would want to see that come from somewhere official first because that would be a very shrewd move by the Sixers, too shrewd I suspect.

The big interview with Ferguson & his mother is on NBL TV tonight at 7:30pm EST.

^ me

Have to admit, if the 36ers managed that...what a move

Re Kobe and Garnett, neither started for all of their rookie seasons. KG started 43 games, Kobe started 6.

They both cracked the 20ppg mark in their 4th seasons, Kobe as a 21 year old and KG at 22.

Tracy Mcgrady is another good example. Averaged 7 points a game as an 18 year old, 9ppg as a 19 year old. His breakout season was his 4th year.

The better ones like Lebron, Dwight Howard and Stoudemire were older, turning 19 early in their rookie season and in Stoudemire's case turning 20 a few wks into his career.

Ferguson also has a very wiry body shape which suggests he'll take longer to start handling playing real men.

I'm not saying Ferguson will become a star like those guys, just saying it's far too early to call him a bust. I never expected him to be a star in the NBL.

Something that started out as a valid question about
Terrance rapidly has rapidly become a fairly negative critique of the 36ERS' recruiting.

Am I missing something? Last time I looked the TEAM of which Terrance is part was top of the table and on a seven-game winning streak, with a truck load of up-side in multiple players.

I think Ferguson is a kid, and obviously still quite some way away from NBA standard. Based on what I am seeing I wonder if he will ever make it, though his outside shooting appears to be gradually improving.

But he's part of the team that is currently leading the league, which suggests to me that he and the 36ERS, while not perfect, have got quite a lot right.

Maybe we could enjoy - and appreciate - what has been achieved and is happening and watch the players, the team and the season develop.

18 year old Bodies just haven't matured enough for players to match it with men who are much older and stronger.

Look at AFL footy for more evidence of this.

Players rarely make much of an impact in their first season as an 18 year old. This is why everybody’s going nuts about Bontempelli- because he became a legitimate superstar in his 3rd season as a 20 year old. That’s very unusual.

This is why Ferguson should never have expected to be shooting 15ppg or winning games for the 36ers.

If he's got a two year contract, surely it's got an NBA out clause?

My take on this thread is 'Has his draft stock gone up or down as a result of playing in the NBL.' I would say it has gone down, he's done himself no favours. Exum would've been similar in NBL but was smart enough not to take the gamble, and it resulted in a higher pick then he probably otherwise would have been.

Has the move been boom or bust - I think it's been great for the NBL and 36ers for the exposure. I'm guessing the expectation wasn't that he was going to average 15-20pts a games so in terms of output it's probably no worse than anticipated.

The only loser in this is TF's draft stock, but he's also just made half a million or so while the rest of his class are getting nothing so it probably evens out.

I don't buy the 2 year deal thing as it would be great for the Sixers but why would he and his management agree to it? It just makes him that little bit harder to draft for an NBA team.

Yes, $600k isn't much for an NBA team but if they're weighing up drafting one of T-Ferg and another guy that they think have similar ceilings they're going to draft the guy straight from college that doesn't have the $600k buyout on him.

It would be a very risky move for Ferguson because if he fails to impress in pre-draft workouts that could be a noose around his neck that could possibly even see him fall to the 2nd round and you could pretty much forget an NBA team agreeing to a buyout for a 2nd rounder.

Again I would want to see/hear something from the club or something before considering that legit.

Given that he wasn't really ready to play in the pros, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have one more professional season. He'll still only have just turned 20 at the time of the 2018 draft.

Once again we under rate teh standard of the NBL competiton and over rate the NBA in comparison.
How many players with NBA experinece on their resume have played in the NBL in recent years and how many of those have been dominant?
A few years ago the 36ers had Diamon Simpson who worked out to be an aaverage import in the NBL ( and once everyone worked out he couldn't shoot form more than 1 meter he became almost ineffective) yet he wnet back and was taken into the NBA.
We've had plenty of guys straight out of college come here are get sent home early.
TF is a kid who was hyped up ( by NBL promoters) as someone who would be a star in our league just because one day he is expected to be a good NBA player. I don't know if anyone here really knows the money involved, but I'm guessing 36ers management took a bit of a risk and the payoff may come in future years.

Was TFerg ever hyped up as being a star in the NBL though? Sure they hyped the fact he's a "future NBA star" to absolute death (and still do). But even as a 36ers fan I don't recall ever being promised a breakout superstar NBL player. It was always the "18 year old straight out of highschool who is going on to big things"

"Once again we under rate teh standard of the NBL competiton and over rate the NBA in comparison."

Absolutely. The NBL and NBA are two very different leagues that have an emphasis on different skill sets and abilities. There are things the NBL does which is on NBA level, but physically players are rarely of the same athleticism, size or strength.

There's still a pretty big difference player for player, but our style of play takes some adapting to and some NBA guys aren't suited to it. Those same guys might have a specific skill that makes them good off the bench in the NBA, but they're rendered useless in the NBL if they're asked to be more versatile here and be the go-to guy.

Does anyone remember in the A League when Adelaide United signed Romario. He was too old and terrible but got Adelaide massive exposure in Brazil and across the world. That opened the flood gates and they signed top quality imports from Brazil for the next 5 years.
I think the full benefit of this experiment will be seen in future years, particularly if TF is successful and is positive about his time here. In the mean time Adelaide are sitting top and he will continue to improve.
I agree he seems to be a good character which again paints a good picture of Adelaide and the NBL.
What if this caused NBA teams to send their draft picks to Adelaide for a few years experience?

Good point TF.

And as a few have said NBA/NBL(FIBA) rules are different and suit different players e.g. look at Steve Blake a pick and roll guy useless in the NBL where pick and rolls aren't valued. Also Blake had trouble gripping the ball, he said the NBA balls are heavier and easier to grip, the NBL balls are lighter and spongy.
NBA and FIBA have different rules and playing style.
TF with his long wingspan and shooting long range is suited to an NBA 3-point line as was Blake who has a very goof 3 point % it's better than Kobe's, remember Blake's 3 vs Melbourne United.

He starts pretty good . Gets a nice three etc. early.
Think we may have won all the games he started in...

"I think the full benefit of this experiment will be seen in future years, particularly if TF is successful and is positive about his time here."

It might help if loser teammates stop trying to punch on with him at training...

It was a huge gamble by Ferguson and his family to forgo the University of Arizona and veer off the proven path to the NBA. With the NBL season at its halfway point, now seems like a good time to assess whether or not Ferguson's gamble has paid off.

Has Terrance Ferguson’s NBL gamble paid off?