Dallas Mavericks rookie Dennis Smith Jr. has proven that he was one of the steals of this year's NBA Draft.Smith has carved out an important role for the Mavs and is averaging 14 points and 4.5 assists per game.

He has the support of the team, especially from Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki, who thinks Smith has the capability to become a star in the NBA, per Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com.

“Well, you know, the rookie season is tough, especially if you’re the point guard. There’s a lot of great players out there, and [Smith] is going to have a challenge every night,” Nowitzki admitted. “Hopefully he can stay healthy here, get better from week to week, month to month, learn the rules, learn about some of those players and read the game better. But like I said, the sky is the limit. The kid is only 20, and he’s going to have a great, great future. But the first year is always tough. I don’t care who you are.”

Smith has enjoyed a lot of buzz since the start of the season. Some of his highlights early were of him dunking. But as the season has gone on, Smith has shown he is a much more dynamic player and a consistent scorer for the Mavericks.

The fact that Nowitzki said Smith could be a star is significant. Nowitzki is a star in his own right and has been around so long that he has seen many stars in the NBA come and go.

If anyone knows about who can and cannot be a star, it's Nowitzki. Time will tell if his prediction will come true.