A Year Later, Yogi Ferrell Has Proved His Place

Roughly a year after signing a 10-day contract with the Dallas Mavericks, Yogi Ferrell has proved his place in the league.

On January 28, 2017, the Dallas Mavericks signed Yogi Ferrell to a 10-day contract. The standout point guard from Indiana went undrafted, spent a few months with the Brooklyn Nets, and was then waived in December of 2016.

He was playing for the Long Island Nets, of the then D-League, when he was signed by the Mavericks.

Over the next four games, the lottery bound Mavericks would win four straight with wins over San Antonio, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Portland. All with Ferrell starting at point guard.

The fourth win in Portland, Ferrell finished with 32 points on 9 of 11 from the outside. His story caught the league by storm and suddenly, fans across the league started to take notice of “Yogimania”.

Ferrell would then sign a multi-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks.

Now, almost a year later, Ferrell has proved he is more than just a 10-day call up that stuck around.

“He was very mature from the beginning. He is such a hard worker, confidence comes pretty naturally to him because he knows he puts the work in. He just needed someone to believe in him, that was the biggest thing,” Rick Carlisle said after the Mavericks played host to the Magic a few weeks ago.

“No matter what the situation has been, he was a guy that crashed on the seen last year and had some big games as a starter. We had guys hurt and down a lot of playmakers,” Carlisle said.

After going undrafted, being waived by the Nets and playing in the then D-League, Ferrell knew he had the talent, he just needed an organization to believe in him and the Mavericks came calling. Not only did they call, but Ferrell has been a key part of the rotation ever since.

Since being called up, Ferrell has appeared in 80 games for the Mavericks and started in 44 of those games. Last year, it was his natural position at point guard, but this year, it has been a different role for Ferrell.

When Seth Curry went down before the season began, it was Ferrell that was thrusted into the starting unit alongside of Smith Jr. playing off the ball. Something that has been common all season up to this point.

“He always finds a way to fit in because he goes hard and he maximizes his minutes. Tonight we couldn’t have won without him,” Carlisle said after the win over Orlando.

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In just under a year, Ferrell has played the role of the starting point guard, third guard off the bench, sixth man, and now starting shooting guard. Thus proving Carlisle’s point of always finding a way to fit in.

Over the last three games, Ferrell has logged a combined 112 minutes. In those minutes, he has scored 48 points, 22 rebounds and 9 assists. Facing the Hornets last week, Ferrell shot 70% from the field by going 7 of 11 from behind the arc.

At 24 years old, Ferrell is exactly what you need on an NBA team as a multidimensional guard who can play any role you ask of him. On the season, Ferrell is averaging just over 10 points a game and shooting 40% from behind the arc.

Next: Carlisle Compares 2017 Draft to 1984 Draft

Last January, Ferrell was a 10-day contract to get a healthy body running the point. This January, Ferrell is a key part of the rotation and looks to be a puzzle piece of the rebuild.