After playing a very small role for the Oklahoma City Thunder as a rookie during the 2017-18 season, Terrance Ferguson took a big step forward in his sophomore campaign. Throughout the season he had stretches in which he looked like an impactful NBA starter. It was a promising development as the 6-foot-7 Oklahoma native started all 74 games in which he appeared. Ferguson averaged 6.9 points and 1.9 rebounds on 42.9 percent shooting. He was especially impressive during the month of January. In 13 games that month, the ultra-athletic guard averaged 10.8 points on 49.5 percent shooting and converted 47.9 percent of his three-pointers. After attempting 5.8 shots per game in the regular season, that number dropped to an even 5.0 in the playoffs. During Oklahoma City's first-round playoff series, Ferguson averaged 25.6 minutes per contest. He posted per-game averages of 5.0 points and 2.4 rebounds in the five-game battle. He also shot 38.9 percent from deep, averaging 1.4 three-pointers per contest.

Ferguson took an unusual route to the NBA, skipping college to play professionally in Australia for the Adelaide 36ers. The shooting guard was then selected with the 21st pick of the 2017 NBA Draft by Oklahoma City. He appeared in 61 games during his rookie season, starting 12 of them. Ferguson averaged 3.1 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.3 assists over 12.5 minutes of run. He debuted on Oct. 19, scoring two points in 10 minutes against the Knicks. The guard was also assigned to the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA G League in November. He played three games for the Blue, averaging 14.7 points and 1.3 steals. Ferguson started for the first time on Jan. 3 against the Lakers, scoring a career-high 24 points (9-for-12 FG) in 32 minutes. He scored in double digits five times in the season. The Thunder finished with a 48-34 record but lost to the Jazz in the first round of the playoffs. Ferguson appeared in three games, totaling three points, one rebound and one assist in just over six minutes.