Dallas aggressively moved up to snatch Luka Doncic, a stud and proven talent who would clearly be their franchise player moving forward. Eventually.Ĭoming into this year, those expectations changed. By all accounts, Smith would be on track to excel in the NBA and lead these Mavs.
Rookies are supposed to struggle, especially when they're one year removed from his high school prom. He often looked out of control, and never demonstrated the type of court vision and passing instincts that you'd like to see out of a true point guard.īut hey, he was a rookie. He shot 39.5% from the field, and only 31.3% from the three. He scored (15.2 points in 29.7 minutes), but couldn't do that efficiently. flashed huge potential in Summer League, during which many of us thought he may end up being a Rookie of the Year candidate due to his awesome athletic traits and his clear lane to be the go-to star of the Dallas Mavericks. Smith had some concerns, sure, but still had All-Star upside.ĭennis Smith Jr. At the time, I considered it a steal for them. He also had a limited 6'3" wingspan that stood in contrast to his bigger/longer peers.Īs a result, Smith fell to the Dallas Mavericks at pick # 9. In turn, Smith didn't have a great year by either standard. He could score, but could he do it efficiently? Moreover, the other guards in his class (Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, and De'Aaron Fox) had risen up past him in the process either thanks to their gaudy stats (Fultz) and their team success (Ball+Fox). Suddenly, Smith's surefire success in the NBA was even more in doubt. (He's currently at Cal State Northridge.) The Wolfpack finished 15-17, a disappointing result that got coach Gottfried fired. Smith struggled to find his shot early on, and by the time he started to figure it out, it was too late. There, he got plenty of opportunities to score (18.1 points per game), but not many chances to win.
PAWN STARS GAME APPRAISAL FULL
Most expected a full recovery, but that injury added some murkiness to his future.Įdit: Thanks to Mavs fan /u/sayter for pointing out that Dennis Smith actually had two ACLs, a freaky trait which made his recovery easier (and also made him the captain of the X-Men intramural team).ĭennis Smith also made the decision to stay relatively close to home and play for Mark Gottfried at North Carolina State rather than go to a blueblood school like Duke or Kentucky. He tore his ACL as a senior in high school and missed his entire final year there. In terms of his expectations and reputation, Smith has never quite seen those heights again. This kid would be an All-Star in the NBA. He also had a natural confidence and swagger on the court far beyond his years. Most experts considered him a top 3 prospect in his class and the second coming of Derrick Rose. Not only could the 6'3" guard get to the rim at will, he could throw down with an awesome vertical. (often called "Junior" ) was a true phenomenon.
PART ONE: THE PLAYERĪt Trinity Christian in North Carolina, Dennis Smith Jr. is currently sitting out games in anticipation of that trade, so we really need to solve this quickly for the sake of him and the Mavs.įirst, let's take a look at the player, the value, and then proper fits.
At this point, we'd be silly not to think a trade was about to happen. There's no way that the Dallas Mavericks would trade a promising 21-year-old guard this early into their remodel and rebuild.īut then I read another rumor. When I first read the rumor that teams were sniffing around a Dennis Smith Jr.
PAWN STARS GAME APPRAISAL SERIES
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