On the surface Dennis Smith Jr.’s rookie season was a glowing success. He averaged 15 points, five assists and nearly four rebounds per game, making him the youngest Maverick ever to achieve those marks at the ripe age of twenty.
The ninth overall pick in the 2017 draft - but a top-five talent in the eyes of ESPN’s NBA Draft Analyst Mike Schmitz - put on a dazzling display of athleticism and showed an underrated ability to put his teammates in scoring position. But Smith was a rookie who went through growing pains, specifically shooting the ball at an inefficient mark.