Yogi Ferrell played some of the best basketball of his career for the Indiana Hoosiers in the 2014-2015 season.
In a year that saw Tom Crean's team struggling in comparison to the program's history, Ferrell solidified himself as one of the most productive scorers in the conference.
The junior is listed at a generous 6-feet-tall, but truly he is more like 5'11", which might be his biggest obstacle when he decides to take his career to the next level. There are ways that Ferrell has worked though this in order to make up for his size, finding a way to even the playing field with other guards. Ferrell is a thick build in muscle, which allows him to make up for his size with strength. He has also progressed with his scoring ability during his time at Indiana, increasing his shooting percentage and perfecting his scoring efficiency over the top of the defense.
Ferrell is criticized for his shot selection, but his field goal percentage has gradually increased each season, which does shine light for NBA scouts.
His improvements have obviously only helped his cause for a NBA contract as Ferrell has become a reliance for the Hoosiers during the past two seasons. In a time that has found Tom Crean rebuilding his program, Ferrell has been a consistent go-to guy and one of the only consistent components for the Hoosiers. Ferrell had increased his points per-40 minutes by 87.1%, landing him 29th in a group of players playing more than 300 minutes in 2013-2014.
Although Ferrell has increased his shooting percentage each year in college, it was not very high to begin with, which does cause some room for him to just be catching up to other players in his position. Ferrell finished the 2014-2015 season shooting just 43.9%. His size limits his finishing ability, which could hinder his NBA productivity and cause a concern for scouts.
Defensively, Ferrell can keep up with many of his opponents at the college level but struggles when it comes to players with quickness similar to his own. Because he is smaller than other guards, Ferrell cannot contest shots as effectively and does not force many turnovers.
This season, Ferrell did show his accountability for the Hoosiers, which helps his cause for an NBA contract; however, Indiana's loss in the opening round of the NCAA tournament to Wichita State does not help his cause when he is trying to prove that teams can win with him despite his setbacks. As of right now, there is no indication whether Ferrell will declare for the 2015 draft or not. Most mock drafts do not list Ferrell as a player who is likely to be drafted. Should he choose to declare this year he would also be competing with guards like Duke's Tyus Jones and Emmanuel Mudiay who is playing in China. Ferrell ranks tenth on cbssports.com's list of the top point guard prospects in the 2015 NBA draft.
Though he has his setbacks, this does not go to say that Ferrell will not make an appearance on the NBA draft board should he choose to declare in 2015. Timing just may not be the best for him. Waiting another year to show off his abilities could be in the junior's best interest. year to show off his abilities could be in the junior's best interest.
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46022114/usa-today-8477588.0.jpg)