After finishing the 2016-2017 NBA season with a 33-49 record, the Dallas Mavericks have seemingly embraced a rebuild. Dirk Nowitzki will serve as the face of the franchise once again, but all signs point to another lottery-bound campaign ahead of the 2017-2018 NBA season.
While Dallas may struggle to win games, they will still be worth watching after the team selected Dennis Smith Jr. No. 9 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. Smith is an explosive point guard with plenty of upside and in an interview with Oliver Maroney of Uproxx, Mavs owner Mark Cuban revealed how high they had Smith on their draft board:
“We had him top-3 on our board going into the season. We love his basketball IQ, his ability to attack and his passing ability. He is a basketball player that happens to be athletic.”
Dennis Smith Jr. falling to the Mavs in the draft was a surprise as he has arguably as much potential as the point guards taken ahead of him. His ability to get to the rim and score at nearly every spot on the floor will justify all the playing time head coach Rick Carlisle is sure to give him.
Still, the point guard is only one piece in Dallas' rebuilding efforts and it will be interesting to see who they add going forward. For now, however, Mark Cuban will happily take a prospect the Mavericks were high on.
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