DALLAS — He comes into the NBA as one of the most athletic and explosive players in this year’s draft class. Now, first-round draft pick Dennis Smith Jr. will be asked to use that raw athleticism in order to develop into one of the league’s best two-way players.
Selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the ninth overall selection in last week’s draft, Smith comes into the league with high expectations already placed on his broad shoulders. The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder averaged 18.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from behind the three-point arc during his lone collegiate season at North Carolina State.