NBA: Ranking all 30 starting point guards for 2017-18

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27. Dennis Smith Jr., Dallas Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks fans aren’t going to like this one, but what can we say? Anyone expecting a rookie point guard to come in and help lead an NBA team to a significant turnaround is going to be sorely disappointing.

That’s not to say Dennis Smith Jr. is going to have a bad rookie year by any means, but the point guard position is stacked and the Mavs’ new floor general — electrifying as he may be — will take his lumps playing some elite competition on a nightly basis out West.

DSJ lit up NBA Summer League with 17.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game on 45.7 percent shooting, and he’s looked good in preseason play too. It’s just that expecting him to establish himself as a top-10 point guard in year one is unrealistic.

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