Dallas Mavericks rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr. will miss at least the next two games due to a strained hip, according to Bobby Karalla.
Smith suffered the injury after falling on a cameraman in the Mavs' loss to the Celtics in Boston. He will miss the Mavericks’ road games against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
Smith missed two games during the first week of the season due to swelling on his surgically-repaired left knee but had been ever-present in the Mavs lineup ever since.
Smith, the No. 9 pick in this year’s draft, is having a strong rookie season. He’s averaging 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 28 minutes per game.
With Smith out, the Mavs will likely turn to Yogi Ferrell to return to the starting lineup. Ferrell had started eight of the first 15 games of the season before returning to the bench on a full-time basis over the last 10 games. Ferrell is averaging 9.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists this season.
Veteran guards J.J. Barea and Devin Harris should also see an uptick in minutes off the Mavs bench with Smith sidelined. Harris is averaging 11.4 points on 54 percent shooting over his last five games, while Barea is putting up 10.9 points and 7.7 assists over his last seven.
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