Dallas Mavericks: 5 goals for Dennis Smith Jr.’s rookie season

1. Win Rookie of the Year

If last year was an uncertain year for rookie talent, this season promises to be filled to bursting with high-profile rookies and talented contributors. Cases could be made for at least a dozen players to make a run at the coveted first-year award.

Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Donovan Mitchell — all are gifted guards with the future of their franchises resting on their shoulders. Jayson Tatum, Josh Jackson, Jonathan Isaac and OG Anunoby are combo forwards with varying and high-upside skill-sets. John Collins and Lauri Markkanen are bigs with immediate paths to playing time and an ability to score the basketball.

If Dennis Smith Jr. wants to be known as the best among them, he will start out by besting them from the jump. Winning Rookie of the Year doesn’t ensure any future development (see Tyreke Evans beating out Stephen Curry and James Harden in 2009-10). But it is the first chance Smith will have to prove himself the best of his peers.

The pieces needed to win such an award? Playing time — and Smith figures to have plenty after he was all-but-guaranteed the starting point guard position by head coach Rick Carlisle. Physical ability — Smith may be the most explosive athlete in the draft, with a smooth shot and a feel for the game of basketball. And finally, it helps to bring a diverse skill-set to the table, and Smith projects to shoot, pass and rebound.

Next: Philadelphia 76ers: 5 goals for Markelle Fultz’s rookie season

Winning the award will be difficult, and just because Smith is in a position to succeed doesn’t mean he will take advantage — or that his efforts will be more noteworthy than his peers. But Smith is out to prove the league wrong for not drafting him sooner, and he will find a way to win games, and awards, along the way.