Brooklyn Nets: Yogi Ferrell Making the Most of His NBA Opportunity

Yogi Ferrell has only played in five games for the Brooklyn Nets, but he is already beginning to show talent as a rookie. His journey to the NBA has been arduous, but he is making the most of this opportunity.

The Brooklyn Nets struck gold when they landed Yogi Ferrell on their training camp roster this summer. They landed a player who was expected to be selected in the early-to-mid second round. Ferrell went undrafted, but that isn’t to say that he isn’t capable of competing in the NBA.

In his four-year career at Indiana University, Ferrell made his mark in the celebrated university’s record book. He is in the top ten in career scoring, assists, field goals made, three-pointers made, and career games played. To top it all off, he didn’t miss a single game in college.

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Ferrell went on to play for the Nets in the preseason, but couldn’t find a place on Brooklyn’s final roster in their already-crowded backcourt. However, the Nets moved him to their D-League affiliate, the Long Island Nets.

After Jeremy Lin and Greivis Vasquez went down with injuries, the Nets needed to turn to a new face to fill the void at the point. Brooklyn was using shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick and rookie Isaiah Whitehead at the one, but could really use another player running the point off the bench. The Nets released Vasquez and called Ferrell up from Long Island all in the same day. Four hours later, Ferrell suited up in the Nets’ black-and-white for the first time, and he played his first NBA game at Madison Square Garden.

To say the least, it’s been an exciting week for Ferrell. “It’s been a long journey, but I’m glad I took this journey,” he said, via NBA.com. “It’s been a very fun path for me, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot being in the Nets organization.”

Aside from Lin, Ferrell is the only other true point guard on the Nets’ roster. Though his inexperience makes Kenny Atkinson turn to other players for the starting role, this fact gives Ferrell a good amount of playing time. The rookie sees 18 minutes of action per game and makes the most of each second.

What’s even more astounding is Ferrell’s averages.

Ferrell is averaging 7.4 points per game, which ranks sixth among rookies in the NBA. To accompany this stat line, Ferrell is also dishing out three assists per game. We should not glance over his shooting percentages as well; he is shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from behind the arc.

Ferrell does not only shoot and score though. He is most known for providing energy to the team, which can be seen by his aggressive style of play. “The energizer bunny” is the type of player to go after loose balls and drive hard to the basket to get a foul called. Brooklyn needs this kind of action from players so that they don’t have to depend on guys out in three-point territory.

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It is still early and Ferrell has only played in five games, but if how he’s playing is any indication of how he’ll perform this season, he may find a permanent home in Brooklyn. What’s clear is that with Lin still out, the Nets need Ferrell to continue playing aggressively.