The 2017 Class Isn’t Just About Dennis Smith Jr. For the Dallas Mavericks

Dennis Smith Jr. is a stud, but it’s the other rookies in Dallas that could make this group special for the Mavericks.

After a 33 win season for the Mavericks last year, their reward was a top ten pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and a chance at another franchise changing player.

With the 9th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Dallas Mavericks selected Dennis Smith Jr.

The Mavericks got their guy. Their next point guard of the future. Their next cornerstone.

Draft night in Dallas was crazy as Rick Carlisle, Donnie Nelson and Michael Finley all addressed the media. The team even phoned in Smith Jr. and put him on speaker phone to talk to the media that night. He was excited, the team was excited and most importantly, the fan base was excited.

Oozing with athleticism, the hype began as some already dubbed him the “steal of the draft” and a preseason favorite for Rookie of the Year.

Now, 27 games into the season, the hype has only grown.

Ben Simmons might be running away with the Rookie of the Year award, but Smith Jr. isn’t that far behind in the rookie rankings and has spent his first part of the season adjusting to the system and lifestyle in Dallas.

Through 27 games, Smith Jr. has appeared in 23 of those games and is the second leading scorer on the team behind Harrison Barnes averaging 14.4 points per game. He is second on the team in assists (4.0 per game) and is averaging 28 minutes a night.

The 20-year-old Smith Jr. is the real deal and the Mavericks know it.

But the 2017 rookie class for the Mavericks isn’t just about Dennis Smith Jr.

MILWAUKEE, WI – DECEMBER 08: Maximilian Kleber /

Before training camp started, word came out that the Mavericks would be signing a German forward named Maxi Kleber, who just happened to be from the same town as Dirk Nowitzki in Germany.

Kleber would impress enough in camp to make the final roster, earning more than a two-way contract with an actual spot on the roster.

Early on in the season, Kleber was a staple on the bench and a player that saw limited action through the first part of November. After appearing in three straight games in November, Rick Carlisle called his number in the starting unit on November 17th and he hasn’t looked back since.

Since then, Kleber has started in 12 straight games and logged over 20 minutes a game in seven of those games. He has given the Mavericks a spark on both ends of the ball with his versatile offensive game and surprising presence at the rim on the defensive side of the ball.

In the seven point loss to Boston last week, Kleber recorded 13 points and FIVE blocks in the game. If Boston didn’t know who Maxi was before the game, they definitely did after the game.

The 25 year old Kleber has given the Mavericks a spark in the starting unit alongside of Nowitzki and should keep his spot until the return of Seth Curry.

With Dennis Smith Jr. and Maxi Kleber giving the Mavericks a nice rookie class already, it doesn’t stop there as the Mavericks just recently called up their two-way, undrafted player in Johnathan Motley out of Baylor.

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Motley was considered by many to be a first round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft but went undrafted due to concerns about his meniscus. The Mavericks scooped him up as a two-way player and he has been dominating in the G-League so far this season.

In his 12 games before getting called up to the Mavericks, Motley was averaging right at 22 points and 10 rebounds a game for the Texas Legends. Now, the Mavericks get their athletic, rookie big man on the active roster moving forward and should give him a chance to showcase that he is a piece of the future.

You also can’t forget the other two-way contract for the Dallas Mavericks.

They began the season with Gian Clavell in that spot, but over the past month replaced Clavell with G-League standout, Antonius Cleveland. Cleveland logged 18 minutes against a stingy Minnesota team where he went head-to-head with Andrew Wiggins at times on the defensive end.

The role of Cleveland moving forward in Dallas is cloudy at the moment, but I am a believer in his game and believe his defensive versatility should garner him a spot on the roster.

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Dennis Smith Jr. is the face and stud of this young group that came into Dallas this past summer. But Maxi Kleber, Johnathan Motley and Antonius Cleveland could make this rookie class in Dallas one of the best ones to come through in a very long time.

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