SALT LAKE CITY — They gathered around Andre Roberson as if he was a sage on a stationary bike, Terrance Ferguson included.

This was the first week of the season, before the Thunder established itself as the No. 1 defense in the NBA. As Roberson pedaled with Thunder trainer Tony Katzenmeier at his side at UCLA's Mo Ostin Center, Ferguson, Hamidou Diallo and Abdul Nader huddled around the Thunder's minister of defense, eyes locked intently on him.

If you're around excellence long enough, it's bound to rub off. Flash forward two months and there Ferguson was in Sacramento, entrenched in Roberson's starting shooting guard spot, not doing a bad job of defending himself.

In Year 2 with the Thunder, Ferguson has improved exponentially, particularly on defense. Part of his improvement has come from film sessions with Roberson, who's stayed involved even through injury.