For many reading this, Dennis Smith Jr. needs little introduction. The ninth pick in the 2017 NBA Draft was hailed by many as a steal for the Dallas Mavericks after a productive individual season for an otherwise mediocre N.C. State team. Smith had praise heaped upon him by the usually reserved Rick Carlisle, and coach Carlisle himself was there to watch Smith put on a show during the Las Vegas Summer League.
Dennis Smith Jr. will be something of a novelty for Mavericks’ fans this season. The team has not selected in the top 10 this millennium (though they did acquire the rights to Devin Harris on draft night back in 2005), and certainly no rookie in that time has arrived in Dallas as a trendy pick for Rookie of the Year the way Smith Jr.