Mavericks Guard Dennis Smith Jr. Named To NBA All-Rookie Second Team
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Another sign the Dallas Mavericks did well with their first pick of the NBA Draft last year.
Mavericks guard Dennis Smith Jr. was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team on Tuesday.
This marks the second year in a row the Mavs had a player earn NBA All-Rookie Team honors (Yogi Ferrell was named to the All-Rookie Second Team in 2016-17).
Smith averaged 15.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.0 steal and 29.7 minutes in 69 games for Dallas in 2017-18. Among all rookies, he ranked fifth in scoring, 14th in rebounding, third in assists, sixth in steals and seventh in minutes. Smith ranked second on the Mavericks in both scoring and assists. He knocked down 106 3-pointers in 2017-18, the most by a Mavericks rookie in franchise history.
The ninth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft burst onto the scene with a historic performance in his NBA debut. He recorded 16 points and a game-high 10 assists in Dallas' opener against Atlanta on Oct. 18, becoming the youngest player in NBA history (19 years, 327 days) to record a point-assist double-double in his NBA debut.
Smith racked up 142 points and 49 assists in his first 10 career games, joining LeBron James and Kyrie Irving as the only teenagers in league history to reach those totals in their first 10 career NBA contests.
The former North Carolina State guard represented Dallas at All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, competing in both the dunk contest and Rising Stars game. In fact, he became just the third Maverick ever to compete in the dunk contest, along with Tony Dumas and Michael Finley.
At 20 years, 34 days old, Smith recorded his first career triple-double (21 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) at New Orleans on Dec. 29. He finished the season as the fourth-youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double.
Smith's triple-double began a streak of 23 consecutive double-figure scoring games for the young point guard (12/29/17-2/23/18). It tied the second-longest double-digit scoring streak by a Mavericks rookie in team history.
Smith finished the season with 15 20-point efforts and six double-digit assist games.
Smith becomes the ninth Maverick to earn NBA All-Rookie Team honors. In a talented rookie class, the Lakers' Ball, Sacramento's Bogdan Bogdanovic, Atlanta's John Collins and Phoenix's Josh Jackson join Smith on this year's NBA All-Rookie Second Team. The 2017-18 NBA All-Rookie First Team consists of Philadelphia's Ben Simmons, Utah's Donovan Mitchell, Boston's Jayson Tatum, the Lakers' Kyle Kuzma and Chicago's Lauri Markkanen.
MAVERICKS NAMED TO ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Dennis Smith Jr. – 2017-18 (Second Team)
Yogi Ferrell – 2016-17 (Second Team)
Marquis Daniels – 2003-04 (Second Team)
Josh Howard – 2003-04 (Second Team)
Jason Kidd – 1994-95 (First Team)
Jamal Mashburn – 1993-94 (First Team)
Roy Tarpley – 1986-87 (First Team)
Sam Perkins – 1984-85 (First Team)
Jay Vincent – 1981-82 (First Team)
