Dallas Mavericks rookie Dennis Smith Jr. looks up to Washington Wizards point guard John Wall. And tonight, Smith and Wall will play against each other for the first time this season.

When rookies play against players they admire, there's always an expectation that they won't play as hard, out of respect, or be like a deer in headlights and not perform well.

But at times, it seems the opposite is true, and younger players tend to impress the veterans in the NBA that they grew up watching.

In Smith's case, he just wants to earn Wall's respect, and the rest will come later, per Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com.

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https://twitter.com/EarlKSneed/status/955486007675285504

Being from North Carolina, Smith grew up watching Wall. It must be quite the feeling to take the same court as one of the players that he has watched since being a kid playing basketball in high school and college.

But when that ball goes up, Smith has to treat Wall like any other player that he plays against every single night. It's the only way he can make sure he doesn't get starstruck and actually do what he wants to do; earn Wall's respect as a basketball player.

So far, Smith has earned the respect of a great deal of people in the NBA. In some circles, he is a legitimate contender for the Rookie of the Year award — and if Smith has a breakout showing against Wall and the Wizards, that could strengthen his case for the award moving forward.