Dallas Mavericks: 5 goals for Yogi Ferrell in 2017-18

3. Become a stronger finisher in the paint

The Dallas Mavericks have a lot of guards on their roster but not a whole lot of players who can get to the paint and finish quite like Yogi Ferrell. Ferrell took his fair share of 3-point attempts in 2016-17 (4.1 shots attempted) but he also took 5.4 shots from the field.

The second-year point guard shot 41.2 percent from the floor in 2016-17, a number that needs to improve drastically if he hopes to see the floor more this season. Ferrell averaged 29.1 minutes per game for Dallas, but that was when they were thin at the point guard position.

The addition of Dennis Smith Jr. and healthy veterans Devin Harris and J.J. Barea have created a bit of a logjam at the point guard position. To set himself apart, Ferrell needs to look to get to the basket more and become a finisher in the paint. He was 52.2 percent shooting from 2-point field goals between 0-3 feet, a lot more reasonable than his overall percentage, but still below average.

He averaged just 2.0 free throws per game in 2016-17 while shooting 87.7 percent from the free throw line. Getting to the free throw line more could make it more difficult for head coach Rick Carlisle to keep him off the court this season.