NEW YORK – Driving on the opposite side of the road in Australia, that was the issue.

“That was pretty much it,” Terrance Ferguson said. “That was the only problem I had.”

There was the time North American muscle memory took over and he looked the wrong way before pulling out, leading to a harrowing close call. But no accidents as he returned to the United States unscathed. His body was fine and his NBA prospects just as good.

Turning pro for 2016-17 with the Adelaide 36ers rather than the more-credible proving ground of a freshman season at the University of Arizona as draft prep did not greatly damage his chances of being picked near the middle of the first round, the way some suggested the jump to Australia would backfire. He is at No. 19 to the Hawks, starving for perimeter offense, in the latest NBA.com mock and in the words of one executive, “That kid is going to be the surprise of the draft. He’s an outstanding shooter.”

Maybe he would have turned a good one-and-done at Arizona into a solid spot in the lottery. Or maybe he would have struggled and hurt his stock. To Ferguson, though, there is no uncertainty: Taking the money overseas will become a benefit, not a setback, because he matured from living far from home and steeled himself for the NBA by playing against men Down Under, not other college students.

He has turned that into a selling point while meeting with teams in advance of the Draft Thursday night at Barclays Center (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) in nearby Brooklyn.

“I definitely can,” Ferguson said. “I learned a lot, I learned a lot about myself and I learned how to be a professional. College players can’t say that because they weren’t professionals.”

Officially, at least. But Ferguson was born in Tulsa, Okla., moved to Dallas as a sixth grader, committed to the University of Alabama, de-committed, committed to Arizona and changed his mind to sign with Adelaide, so he was already equipped for the changes that come leading up to the draft and the NBA life. There is another new destination coming soon.

Other points heading toward Thursday night:

• At least some teams picking in the second half of the lottery said their medical staff has signed off on Harry Giles, the Duke power forward who would have been in the conversation for the top five if not for the history of three knee surgeries. That’s not every front office, but it is a good sign. It just doesn’t address the very real possibility that some general managers will avoid the risk despite the endorsement of doctors. “We would have a hard time” taking him, said one executive not picking late-lottery to early-20s.
• Don’t assume the Trail Blazers will go draft-and-stash to avoid a glut of rookies with picks at 15, 20 and 26. General manager Neil Olshey has never been a big player in the international market and there is no indication he will start now for roster management. The two choices in the 20s are right in the range of foreign prospects, though, especially bigs Isaiah Hartenstein and Anzejs Pasecniks. Hartenstein, by coincidence, was born in Eugene, Ore. He is just 19, but wants to come to the NBA now, not spend another season in Lithuania.
• Kentucky coach John Calipari: “Malik Monk is special, folks. Special. There’s stuff that he does. You (isolate) him. He can play a one, a two. Heads on the rim, fast, good with the ball. A scorer, but he can do other things. Defensively, he could be that guy.” Monk, heading from Lexington to the lottery with De’Aaron Fox, was once in the conversation for as high as No. 3 before the 76ers, needing shooting, traded up to No. 1. Philly understood that would have been a reach at 3, but Monk will be in play as soon as Orlando at No. 6.
• Maybe the Kings will have better luck with the Celtics. Philadelphia had no interest in 5 and 10 from Sacramento for 3 before dealing with Boston. And the Kings didn’t have any current players that would have tempted the Sixers unless Vlade Divac was willing to make it Buddy Hield and 5, and that wasn’t going to happen. Divac is believed to be aiming for Fox as the point guard of the future, in the same backcourt with Hield coming off a very good second half. It is still possible Fox will be available at 5, though far from certain.

Scott Howard-Cooper has covered the NBA since 1988. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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