Dennis Smith Jr. and the Mavericks are a perfect pairing

Wrote about Dennis Smith. An excerpt:

When it comes to the NBA draft, some teams believe firmly in simply selecting the best player available. They may define “best” as highest floor, highest ceiling, highest reasonable expectation, or something else entirely, but they always take the highest remaining player on their draft board. Other teams believe in looking for the best available fit. They identify a position of need and ensure that the player they draft fills it. Of course, the best case scenario involves finding the perfect blend of talent and fit — the best player available happens to play the exact position where you most need help, and he falls right into your lap.

It’s not so often that such a scenario plays out for the team selecting at №9, but it did this season. The Dallas Mavericks were desperately in need of a point guard, and the best player available at the time they picked happened to be North Carolina State’s Dennis Smith Jr. It was just about perfect for the Mavs, but it was also just about perfect for Smith. The Mavericks’ roster fits him like a glove; it’s constructed in such a way that it will amplify his greatest skills and paper over his greatest weaknesses.

Read the full story at The Step Back.