Every team in the NBA not named the Dallas Mavericks, are going to regret passing up on Yogi Ferrell. Even the Mavericks passed up on the 23-year-old guard, in a sense. Don Nelson, the Mavericks General Manager, made the same mistake that all 29 other General Managers did, by passing up on Ferrell in the NBA Draft this past offseason.
After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft, Ferrell quickly decided that he would play in the NBA Summer League with the Brooklyn Nets. He played well in the Las Vegas Summer League, in a limited role. Playing only 17.7 minutes per game, Ferrell averaged 8.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. Overall, he looked comfortable and exceeded expectations for an undrafted rookie.
That led Brooklyn to bring him into training camp, where he would battle teammates to make their opening night roster. Ferrell was playing sparingly in the preseason in just three appearances. He played 9.6 minutes per game, averaging 4..3 points and 1.7 assists per game. Unfortunately for Ferrell, Brooklyn did not see enough in him and waived him before the season began.
Heading to the D-League, with the Long Island Nets, expectations were high for him. He had all the tools that, especially in the D-League, should translate to success. The former Indiana Hoosier did not disappoint. In 18 games with Long Island, he averaged 18.7 points and 5.8 assists per game. A question mark of Ferrell’s game, his three-point shooting, was coming along at a very efficient 39.8 percent clip.
Ferrell was playing well enough to earn multiple trips up with the Brooklyn Nets. Eventually, he signed a multi-year contract with Brooklyn. In 10 games with the Nets, Ferrell averaged 5.4 points and 1.7 assists per game. He struggled in Brooklyn with his efficiency, shooting under 30 percent from the three-point line and 62.5 percent from the free throw line. Brooklyn deemed Ferrell was not fitting in well or meeting the expectations they had for him, and the Nets decided to sign a different point guard. They would waive Ferrell in order to make room for the talented Spencer Dinwiddie.
He would head back down to the D-League and continue to succeed. After nearly two more months on Long Island, the Dallas Mavericks brought Ferrell up on a 10-day contract. With Ferrell, the Mavs are yet to lose. They’ve won four straight, and have moved up to 10th place in the Western Conference, passing the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings in the standings. While signing Ferrell and going on a win streak may just seem like a coincidence, those two things go hand in hand.
Ferrell has started all four of the games he has played with Dallas and playing 37.5 minutes per game. He is averaging 17.8 points, five rebounds, and three assists per game. What is also contributing to his stellar play is his efficiency. He is shooting 44.4 percent from the field, 52 percent from the three point line, and 90.9 percent from the charity stripe.
Dallas fits Ferrell perfectly, and vice versa. Their offense allows him to do his thing, which is to cause havoc for the defense in many ways.
For example, in the video below, Ferrell exploits the Blazers game plan of going under screens on him. In this game alone he hit nine three-pointers on only eleven attempts.
Rick Carlisle uses Dirk Nowitzki as a passer and screener just inside the three-point line on offense. The problem for opposing defenses is with Nowitzki still being able to knock down shots at a consistent rate; teams cannot dedicate their defense to Ferrell because he is too quick. They cannot contain him and Nowitzki unless they leave players such as Wesley Matthews, Seth Curry, and Harrison Barnes open. Those are guys that will knock down shots if they are left open. Ferrell’s quickness and ability to quickly get a shot off with just a little separation helps make Dallas’ offense much more dangerous.
Watch below how Ferrell uses Nowitzki’s screen and then hops into a good looking shot. He drills the easy mid-range jumper.
Looking at the way Ferrell has played with Dallas, it is hard to believe Ferrell went undrafted in the offseason. The biggest area of concern with Ferrell was his three-point shooting ability and his defense. While his defense will likely always be suspect due to his size, Ferrell is showing a real shooting touch from deep, as we have seen in the D-League, and now with Dallas.
Ferrell knows his size puts him at a disadvantage, but he does not let that stop him from being the player he is.
“I model my game after Kyle Lowry, a little bit of Jameer Nelson, and Chris Paul,” Ferrell told me just days before the draft in June. “They don’t let their height affect their ability on the court.”
All three of those players are great players to model his game after. Nelson has had a long and productive career as an undersized guard. Lowry has established himself as one of the best point guards in the league today. Paul is still going strong as one of the premier point guards in the NBA and has continued to climb the ranks of the best point guards of all time.
Dallas agreed to a multi-year deal with Ferrell before his 10-day contract even came to an end.
Ferrell likely will never be as good as Chris Paul, or even Kyle Lowry, but that is okay. Maybe he will. Maybe he is going to become one of the best undrafted players in history. Only time will tell what lays ahead for his basketball career.
What we do know is that Yogi Ferrell is taking the NBA by storm, right now.
