2017-18 NBA Rookie of the Year ladder: Week 4 power rankings

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6. Dennis Smith Jr., Dallas Mavericks

Last week: No. 10 (↑4)

The Dallas Mavericks saw their second victory this past week and a lot of it had to do with the play of rookie guard Dennis Smith Jr. They may be the worst team in the Western Conference with a 2-10 record, but they’ve got a bright future with Smith at the helm.

Smith led all rookies this week (Nov. 3-9) in scoring, averaging 18.7 points per game. He scored a career-high 22 points in their second victory of the season over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night. He also flirted with a near triple-double with eight rebounds and eight assists in the 113-99 victory.

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Smtih is still learning to shoot at volume as he was 9-for-22 from the field against Washington, but the rebuild seems to be in full effect in Dallas. Their loss on Tuesday night snapped a five-game winning streak and hopefully shows they’ve figured out to win.

Their offense currently ranks 22nd in the NBA in points per game (99.2) but with bigger production from Smith, that number should improve over time.