The Dallas Mavericks gushed profusely about landing Dennis Smith Jr. with the ninth overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
They were all-in on Smith and even considered trading up to land him. They had him among the top-ranked prospects in the draft and, as owner Mark Cuban said, felt they “got the steal of the draft.”
They weren’t even intrigued when another highly-touted prospect, Kentucky shooting guard Malik Monk, became available at No. 9.
It was “Dennis, Dennis, Dennis” all the way, according to Cuban.
With that being said, here are nine things to know about the ninth overall pick, who isn’t a stranger to the Texas heat.