Ranking every Sixers player #12 — Terrance Ferguson
After making a strong first impression in the league, Terrance Ferguson’s production has tapered off. He shot just 29.2 percent from deep last season and was buried beneath OKC’s slew of young wings. He will find it similarly hard to get minutes on a contender in Philadelphia, where the perimeter rotation looks as good as it has since the Embiid era began.
Ferguson is a springy athlete, has bouts of hot shooting on his record, and can certainly revive his career with a strong season. There’s room for him to crack the rotation — Mike Scott and Matisse Thybulle aren’t immovable forces, and the rookie Tyrese Maxey is, well, a rookie. We can expect Doc Rivers to at least test the waters on occasion.
With a thin frame and lack of discipline, Ferguson’s defense is mostly a negative. He can flash his athleticism for the occasional big play, but more often than not, Ferguson is easily exploitable and undisciplined. Such is life with young players, but Ferguson is reaching a critical point in his NBA career. He only has another season or two to prove he belongs in the NBA.
The Sixers’ perimeter depth is finally not a weakness — at least, not a crippling weakness. Rivers’ rotation is mostly serviceable, if not inspiring to the highest degree. Ferguson has an uphill battle in front of him, and I’m not confident he can overcome it, but the opportunities will present themselves.
— CHRISTOPHER KLINE