W.G. Ramirez

IndyStar correspondent

LAS VEGAS – Much of the hype surrounding the Dallas Mavericks during the NBA summer league this month focused on Dennis Smith Jr., the ninth overall pick in last month's NBA draft.

But that didn't stop Yogi Ferrell from picking up where he left off — a cannonball-like splash into the league during a rookie season that earned Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors for February and a berth on the All-Rookie second team.

The Mavericks' summer league season ended Sunday with a 108-98 semifinal loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and Lonzo Ball, but not before Dallas fans were introduced to what is expected to be an integral part of the Mavericks' backcourt next season.

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Smith (17.3 points per game) and Ferrell (13.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.3 apg) regularly shared the backcourt, allowing them to establish chemistry and make crucial adjustments, according to Ferrell. Ferrell was also able to work on changing gears at the right moment and making the correct reads against different opponents. Smith's scoring prowess also afforded Ferrell the opportunity to run the point, get into lanes, cause trouble with a drive-and-kick strategy and knock down shots when needed.

"I know (Dennis is) gonna get all the attention," Ferrell told IndyStar. "He (was) the ninth pick, but it's actually great out there playing with him because he can sometimes bring the ball up and I don't have to do everything all the time. It gives me time to focus on my game, make a couple of mistakes here and there, and I know him and my teammates are going to back me up.

"It's just all about developing my game, making it better, trying new tricks that I've seen on film or I've worked on during the summer and just try to keep on building that confidence. That's the biggest thing I feel like it is. Everybody's gonna put in the work, but you get your confidence through your work, and it shows out on the court."

It's been a long haul since the 24-year-old's father, Kevin, called Ferrell late last year and asked him if he was ready to quit after the Brooklyn Nets reassigned him to the NBA's Development League (now the G League). Ferrell replied with an abrupt, "No," telling his father he still had plenty to accomplish.

He was right.

Ferrell averaged 5.4 points and 1.7 assists in 15.1 minutes in 10 games with Brooklyn but significantly improved his play in Dallas, earning 29 starts with 11.3 points and 4.3 assists. He went from shooting 36.7 percent (29.6 on 3s) in Brooklyn to 41.2 (40.3) with the Mavericks.

"From the fact I felt like the league needs certain type of character kids — and Yogi is one of them — I knew that this is where he should be all along. This is his calling," Kevin Ferrell said via phone after the Mavs' loss to the Lakers.

Two months before training camp opens, Ferrell feels he's right where he belongs.

"I feel like I've shown a lot of people that I belong in this league and I'm definitely here to stay," he said. "I know there's probably still a lot more to prove because there's not a lot of hype around the undrafted players. But I feel like the undrafted players are the hungriest because of what they've been through and they don't want to go back to where they came from."

Ferrell said he's been able to lean on something former Indiana coach Tom Crean preached when Ferrell played for the Hoosiers.

"Coach always told me to be a 365-day guy," Ferrell said. "Whatever (it) is, get better every single day in anything. Obviously at the time we were in school, so you can get better with your academics, sports, your faith, being a better person — just do something every day that's going to better yourself and help you elongate your career and help you be successful."

Former NBA coach and current television analyst Jeff Van Gundy, who was on the call for Sunday's game, said he's seen that exact trait in Ferrell. While Van Gundy believes staying in college four years can hurt a player in the eyes of evaluators in the NBA because they consider those players a finished product rather than one with room for growth, he said Ferrell has simply continued to improve.

"There's a lot of guys who could be drafted in the second round ... but there's no shame in not being drafted," Van Gundy said. "I think what I like is, there was probably an initial disappointment, but no discouragement, and he quickly made it. He made it through his play and his readiness to compete when he got the opportunity. A lot of guys get a shot, but they don't come through.

"Yogi Ferrell did."