The most surprising player from each NBA team this season
By Connor Learn
Dallas Mavericks: Yogi Ferrell
Yogi Ferrell just submitted possibly one of the finest performances on a ten-day contract in NBA history. He started his first game for the Mavericks and played 36 minutes in a win over the Spurs. Then came a win over the Cavaliers in which Ferrell arguably outplayed Kyrie Irving. And then a win over the 76ers. On day eight of his ten-day contract, Ferrell went 9-11 on 3-pointers on his way to 32 points in a win over the Trail Blazers. He was rewarded for his efforts with a two-year contract extension at the minimum.
Fans of Big Ten basketball may not be shocked with Yogi Ferrell’s success. A four-year starter at Indiana, he gave Big Ten opponents fits. With career averages of 14.5 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.2 rebounds, Ferrell had one of the best college careers of any Hoosier in the 21st century. But even though he also shot over 40 percent on 3-pointers in each of his last three seasons, he was overlooked as an NBA prospect. The diminutive Ferrell went undrafted in the 2016 Draft.
Left on the fringes of the NBA after being undrafted, Ferrell signed a Summer League deal with the Brooklyn Nets and played well enough to parlay that into a training camp offer. He was waived by the Nets and acquired by their D-League affiliate. The Nets later called Ferrell up for ten games before waiving him again. This is what enabled him to end up in Dallas and potentially find his NBA home. Minutes may be harder to come by once Deron Williams and J.J. Barea return, but the Dallas Mavericks found a player worth developing.