31. Dennis Smith Jr.
On one hand, within a game and a half of NBA Summer League starting, it was clear that the kid had no business dropping to ninth in the draft…and yet, of the eight teams that picked before Dallas, how many would you bet on taking Dennis Smith Jr. over their guy if they had a do over?
Right now he’s in the perfect situation, playing for a wizard of a coach, with no pressure whatsoever on him, and he’s clearly been able to do some good things. Maybe his ceiling is…Russell Westbrook lite?
(Is there such a thing? Or would that be like trying to imagine cocaine lite?
Thinking…let’s move on.)
The injury stuff has been bothersome, and the on/off stats aren’t pretty (although the same could be said of Harrison Barnes and Wesley Matthews). Point is, he’s not that much of a sure thing. There’s a very real possibility Smith’s career goes the way many feared it would around draft time, which is the reason he fell to ninth in the first place.
Still, admit it: You’d be mildly shocked if he didn’t become a star in a league moving toward rewarding all the things he does well. One encouraging sign is Smith’s plus/minus average, which has gotten better every month, from a desultory -9.3 in October, to a -6.1 in November, -1.6 in December and -0.4 in January.
Progress has been slow, but it has happened. When that’s added to the raw talent, it’s enough to have him this high.