{"id":159524,"date":"2025-09-19T06:18:38","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T10:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=159524"},"modified":"2025-09-19T06:18:38","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T10:18:38","slug":"mavs-dennis-smith-jr-nba-comeback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/09\/19\/mavs-dennis-smith-jr-nba-comeback\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Dennis Smith Jr. Complete NBA Comeback With Mavs?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s a tale that’s far from unique for Dennis Smith Jr.<\/a>, but there was once a time he was viewed as a potential franchise cornerstone. Hindsight being 20\/20, it sounds unbelievable now. Nonetheless, entering the 2017 NBA Draft, Smith was coming off a spectacular freshman season at NC State. A five-star high school recruit who held offers<\/a> from programs like Duke and Kentucky, he posted 18.1 points, 6.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game in 2016-17, leading to him being named the ACC Rookie of the Year. So, the Dallas Mavericks selected him ninth overall, ahead of players like Donovan Mitchell<\/a> (13th overall).<\/p>\n

Smith had the physical tools, the numbers, and presumably the talent<\/a> to have a successful career himself, perhaps even to be an All-Star. What he didn’t have was the durability, which wouldn’t have been easy to figure out as he was a one-and-done. So, after a commendable 2017-18 campaign that saw him coming in fifth in Rookie of the Year voting, he faded into relative obscurity. Last season, he wasn’t even on a roster. Teams were willing to take a look at him<\/a> but not much more than that.<\/p>\n

Can Dennis Smith Jr. Complete NBA Comeback With Mavs?<\/h2>\n

On Thursday, Smith signed a one-year contract with the Mavs, per ESPN insider Shams Charania. The only guarantee that the 27-year-old has is that\u00a0he’ll “compete in training camp<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

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Sep 21, 2018; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Dennis Smith Jr. (1) poses for a photo during the Dallas Mavericks media day at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“The Mavericks have a full roster currently,” Charania notes, “although guard Brandon Williams is on a partially guaranteed contract.”<\/p>\n

Considering Charania’s phrasing, Smith’s direct competition for Dallas’s final roster spot may be 25-year-old guard Brandon Williams<\/a>. With that being said, Williams might seem like the underdog in this situation because of his low profile. However, his play towards the end of 2024-25 suggests that he’s a diamond in the rough.<\/p>\n

Dennis Smith Jr. versus Brandon Williams?<\/h4>\n

Over the course of 33 games, Williams averaged 8.3 points and 2.3 assists per contest, shooting 52.1 percent from the floor and 40.0 percent from 3. In the 15-game stretch between Feb. 12 and Apr. 11, he averaged 15.2 points, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He remained ultra-efficient in this span, shooting 56.2 percent from the field and 42.2 percent from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n

Even more impressive was that he excelled when the Mavs needed him most. This is important because, despite sports being seen as a business, it’s often sentimental. For a team like Dallas, who’s walking on eggshells with the fan base, his ability to step up the plate after Luka Doncic<\/a> was traded and Kyrie Irving<\/a> was injured matters could be a legitimate factor in Dallas keeping him on board.<\/p>\n