Who thought it was possible? After a dismal start, the Dallas Mavericks actually look good.
They’re 7-3 in their last 10 games and just rattled off three consecutive wins for the second time this season. And they did so in impressive fashion, knocking off the San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers, two of the best teams in the league, on back-to-back nights. While there are a number of factors contributing to the Mavs’ recent success, one player deserves a lot of credit: the team’s new starting point guard, Yogi Ferrell.
Ferrell, a D-League call up who signed a 10-day contract before the Mavs played the Spurs, has been nothing short of remarkable in these three games. Emerging from relative obscurity, he was getting ready to play a game in Eerie, PA with the Long Island Nets when he was called up, it didn’t take long for him to have an impact on the team.
In three games, he’s averaged 13 points, 3.3 rebounds, five assists, 2.3 steals while shooting 35.1 percent from the field and 28.6 percent on 3-pointers. In addition, he’s only turning the ball over 1.3 times per game. He’s able to probe the floor, get into the paint, and find the open man. Ferrell’s assist numbers would even be higher if it weren’t for his teammates missing a few wide-open looks.
Petition: @YogiFerrell11 should be in the NBA Rising Stars Challenge during @NBAAllStar. Who's with me? Make your voices heard!
— The Kobe Beef (@TheKobeBeef) February 3, 2017
His impressive play is the result of his high basketball IQ, which both Rick Carlisle and Mark Cuban have praised. Ferrell is comfortable playing within himself and, rather than trying to fit in, just goes out there and plays basketball. Coming out of the University of Indiana, Ferrell was more of a set-up player, looking to get the ball to his teammates. With the Mavericks, however, Carlisle has encouraged him to be aggressive and attack on offense.
“He’s adjusting to my belief of what a point guard should be and a point guard has to be a threat to score,” Carlisle said before game against the Cavs. “I don’t think you can just look around looking to pass all the time. Otherwise people don’t guard you.
“So, I told him all day yesterday and the day before…I explained to him if you’re going to be able to get shots for Dirk and Barnes, if you’re not a threat to score, you’re not going to create enough of a problem.”
Ferrell has been a problem so far. He’s looking to score by either finishing in the paint or pulling up for a jumper when his defender sags off him. Luckily, for him, it helps that he has the gravitational pull that one of his teammates creates helping him get open shots.
OVERREACTION: Yogi Ferrell is the GOAT
“If you look at the substitution patterns, he’s generally going in and out of the games with Dirk [Nowitzki],” Carlisle said before playing the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday. “That’s a good situation for a guard because of the way teams play Dirk there’s more space on the floor.”
Playing with Nowitzki has really benefited Ferrell. Watching the two of them work the two-man game is reminiscent of the way Nowitzki and J.J. Barea run it. That’s not a coincidence.
“Before I played my games with Dallas, I watched a lot of film of J.J. and how he worked with Dirk and how that worked in his favor,” Ferrell said after the Mavs beat the Sixers, 113-95. “So, I’m just trying to mimic that and create things for our team.”
It’s not just on the offensive side of the ball that Ferrell is having an impact, though. In his three games, he has guarded the likes of Tony Parker, Kyrie Irving, and T.J. McConnell. His performance against Irving, especially coming in just his second game with the Mavericks, was nothing short of folk legend status. Irving went 7-21 shooting for the game, scoring an inefficient 18 points as Ferrell harried and harassed him all game.
“He’s very persistent,” Carlisle said of Ferrell’s defense. “He played good position. He’s a guy that has the energy to pick up full and chase a guy like Irving around. We gave him very specific instructions about how to try to make it hard on him and he really followed everything to a T and just made it tough on him.”
Even with all the attention Ferrell is getting, he only has a few days left on his 10-day contract. He knows his spot on the roster is not guaranteed. Nevertheless, he knows what he has to do to stick around.
“Anything and everything,” he said. “Defense, rebounding, getting steals, blocking shots. Just whatever I can do in order to stay here.
“I’m going to get out there. I’m going to communicate with my guys defensively. And offensively, I’m just going to run the team. Make the smart pass. Knock down the shot if it’s open and try and be a catalyst for our team.”
It has only been three games. That doesn’t amount to much in the NBA usually. For a player on a 10-day contract, though, it could mean the difference between making it in the league or finding yourself prepping for a game in Eerie, PA. Ferrell’s performances don’t seem like a fluke.
He’s proven that he can play against the best in the league and not miss a beat. Because of that, there’s reason to believe that he will be around a little bit longer, if you believe the Mavs’ owner.
“He’s more than earned his second 10-day at least,” Mark Cuban said.
Indeed, he has, proving that anything is possible.
