Going into the draft, there were a handful of players we thought the Mavericks wanted, depending on how the draft played out. Frank Ntilikina seemed like a total Mavericks draft pick from the beginning. Then we thought Dallas might be trading up for a chance at Jonathan Isaac. But after the Mavericks selected Dennis Smith Jr., Rick Carlisle and Donnie Nelson told us otherwise: this is the player they wanted all along.
Whether because of his skill set, fit or upside, most NBA experts graded the Mavs’ selection positively and seem to agree that the Mavericks and Dennis Smith Jr.