What’s going on with Miami Heat guard Matt Ferrell?
The Miami Heat’s Summer League roster is made up of fourteen players with varying experience.
Six of those players were undrafted free agents (UDFAs) that played in the NCAA last season. Summer League is a chance for younger players like these to cut their teeth against NBA-level talent and prove themselves worthy of a contract; it’s essentially a job interview for NBA-hopefuls.
On Miami’s roster this summer is former Notre Dame point guard Matt Farrell. As an Irish fan, I was ecstatic to hear that Farrell would be joining the Heat’s Summer League team, after not be selected in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Farrell was an electric player in college. He could shoot from distance and beat defenders off the dribble, and he was a gritty defender. He was also a leader on a team that faced plenty of adversity.
Farrell earned a starting role as junior at Notre Dame and scored over 500 points in his final two seasons with the Irish. He shot 45.0 percent from the field his junior year while shooting 42.0 percent from 3.
His shooting percentages took a slight dip his senior year (41.0 percent from the field and 38.0 percent from 3), but that was due to a combination of injuries and an increased role in the offense (i.e. more shot attempts).
We knew 3-point shooting was going to be crucial in order for Farrell to make the leap to the NBA. He showed the ability to consistently shoot from distance in his final two seasons at Notre Dame.
In a game against Boston College this past February, Farrell made his first nine 3-point attempts and finished the game 10-of-12 from beyond the arc. He also earned an invitation to compete in the College Three Point Competition in March.
Despite having solid shooting numbers in his collegiate career, Farrell has struggled to find a rhythm in Summer League play. Farrell saw action in four of the Heat’s first five Summer League games. In the first three games, he never logged more than nine minutes on the court.
In the first two games, he failed to score on five shot attempts and had a plus/minus of -17. However, he bounced back in the third game. He scored five points in just six minutes of playing time and made two of his four shot attempts – including one 3.
Farrell’s efficient performance in the team’s third game earned him the lion’s share of minutes in their fourth game. He logged a team-high 27 minutes. This was exactly the opportunity he needed.
Unfortunately, Farrell had a rather pedestrian performance in that fourth game.
He scored nine points on 31.0 percent shooting from the field. His main struggles that day came in an area of his game that was a perceived strength: 3-point shooting. Farrell made just one of his seven 3-point attempts in the game.
Even if we take away his stat lines from the first two games, Farrell is shooting 35.0 percent from the field and just 22.0 percent from 3. That’s not nearly enough to put him in the conversation for a two-way contract.
All that considered, don’t write this kid off.
Farrell has an unrivaled work ethic. He had to scratch and claw his way to earn minimal playing time during his first two seasons at Notre Dame. Nowadays, a significant percentage of players in that position would have just transferred to a different school.
Farrell also exhibited toughness and an ability to play through injury in his last year in college. He returned from an ankle injury quicker than was originally expected – a decision that led to more problems with the same ankle shortly after.
Yes, you can say that his decision to return to play before he was fully healthy was not smart; but that’s the kind of toughness and competitive spirit NBA teams look for. Farrell couldn’t stand watching his team from the sideline. He wanted to get back out there and help them out as soon as he possibly could.
I think Matt Farrell’s first performance in the NBA Summer League can be attributed to a mixture of nerves and not being acclimated to the NBA-level competition. I think he has what it takes to make an NBA roster down the road.
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A couple years in the G-League should prepare him for that transition.