NBA Mock Draft 2017, Week 20: The Sweet Sixteen edition

Dennis Smith Jr. is one of several quality point guards who could hear their name called in the top 10 come June. The 6-foot-3 freshman averaged 20.8 points, 7.1 assists and 5.2 rebounds per 40 minutes as his North Carolina State team disappointed, fired its coach mid-season and missed out on the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack’s failings, though, won’t shape Smith’s NBA potential.

The 19-year old is an explosive vertical athlete with the necessary first step to beat defenders in a race to get to the rim. He excels in transition, can play pick-and-roll and can attack in isolation. Smith’s outside shooting this season helped open up his game as well. He made 35.9 percent of his 3-point attempts, a number that could improve when he isn’t shouldering the high usage load that he did at North Carolina State.

Smith’s defense is open to some questions. He has a habit of getting lost off the ball or not exerting the necessary effort to recover onto shooters. Those are two things that can kill a team defense in the NBA. He also doesn’t have a great wingspan, which will seriously limit his ability to switch onto bigger players. On the plus side, he did generate a decent number of steals in college and that should translate to the next level.

Learn more about Dennis Smith Jr. at The Step Back.