Mavs Select Dennis Smith Jr With 9th Pick

DALLAS— The Dallas Mavericks announced that they have selected guard Dennis Smith Jr., with the 9th overall selection of the 2017 NBA Draft.

Smith (6-3, 195) was an early-entry candidate to this year’s draft after spending one season at North Carolina State. As a freshman, he averaged 18.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists while shooting .455 from the field, .359 from behind-the-arc and .715 from the foul line. 

The explosive guard was named Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year and All-ACC Second Team after leading the league in assists (13th nationally) and finishing sixth in the conference in scoring. Smith also registered a North Carolina State freshman-record with 62 steals (1.94 spg). 

The Fayetteville, N.C., native played at Trinity Christian School where he was averaged 22.2 points per game on the way to being named North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year.