According to a scout who recently watched the Dallas Mavericks play, second-year point guard Dennis Smith Jr. broke off a play call from Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle, leaving the head coach very frustrated.
Smith Jr. and Carlisle are said to have a tenuous relationship and it's a big reason why Smith Jr.'s future in Dallas is up in the air.
An example of the balancing act the Mavericks are attempting with Dennis Smith Jr.: a scout who saw Dallas recently said Rick Carlisle would try to call specific plays for Smith in an attempt to try to get him going — only for Smith to break them off, leaving Carlisle frustrated.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) January 17, 2019
Rick Carlisle had a similar issue with Rajon Rondo back in 2015. Rondo would sometimes ignore the play Carlisle was calling and run his own play. Four years later, Dennis Smith Jr. appears to be doing the same thing.
Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that Smith Jr. has been the subject of trade rumors. The Mavs are reportedly not opposed to trading their first-round draft pick from last season since rookie phenom Luka Doncic has proven to be a better floor general moving forward.
Dennis Smith Jr. has played in 28 games this season. The explosive guard is averaging 12.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 44.3 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from beyond the arc and 68.1 percent from the free-throw line.
The NBA trade deadline is Feb 7. It's going to be interesting to see if Smith Jr. is still on the Mavs after that date passes.
Follow Us
Subscribe