Already sporting one of the best names in professional sports, Mavericks point guard Yogi Ferrell has burst onto the NBA scene the past few months, quickly asserting himself as a fixture for the team moving forward and currently implanting himself as a starter for the remainder of the season. Pretty incredible for a guy who was signed to a 10-day contract mid-season.
He has also accomplished what only one other rookie in NBA history ever has: to win an NBA Rookie of the Month award as an undrafted player during the first pro season.
The only other player on that list is Terrance Kinsey, who won rookie of the month for the Memphis Grizzlies in April of 2017.
Ferrell joins five other undrafted players who have won an NBA Rookie of the Month award in NBA history:
Adrian Griffin (November 1999)
Jorge Garbajosa (December 2006)
Jamario Moon (January 2008)
Ivan Johnson (April 2012)
Chris Copeland (April 2013)
Mavs guard Yogi Ferrell joins a very short list of undrafted players who won the Rookie of the Month award. pic.twitter.com/azpBjqIPwB
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) March 3, 2017
Ferrell has been a revelation in Dallas, averaging 12.2 points and 5.2 assists on 40 percent three-point shooting.
Ferrell was overlooked in the draft process because of his diminutive stature, but he was an all-time great in his four seasons at the University of Indiana and has shown that level of leadership and ability thus far in the NBA as well.
Although the Mavs will likely look to add a point guard in the draft or free agency, Ferrell has played his way into the Mavericks immediate future on some level which, at the very least, is pretty cool for an undrafted rookie.
