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Dallas Mavericks: Dennis Smith Jr. Should Win Dunk of the Year

ByKohl Rast|
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 28: Dennis Smith Jr. #1 of the Dallas Mavericks dunks the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 28, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 28: Dennis Smith Jr. #1 of the Dallas Mavericks dunks the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 28, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

The NBA has a handful of awards that they hand out after each season. Some of them are meaningless like “Executive of the Year” or “Defensive Player of the Year” while others are a true showing of what kind of player you are. That is why Dennis Smith Jr. should be the winner of the most prestigious award, the Dunk of the Year.

Dallas Mavericks point guard, Dennis Smith Jr., just finished his rookie NBA season and he already appears to be perhaps a top-15 dunker in the league. As he matures and learns the pro-level game even better going forward, there is no doubt that he will be one of the most exciting players in the league at one point or another.

Every year a little while after the season ends, the NBA picks the winners of all the big awards. The MVP, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year are all announced and the arguments begin. However, awards are also given based on fan votes, such as Assist of the Year, Block of the Year, and the one we all want to see, Dunk of the Year.

But wait a minute, surely the NBA didn’t overlook Dennis Smith Jr. when choosing the nominees for Dunk of the Year, right? Wrong. The NBA has made a huge error, right along the lines of the illegitimate dunk contest hosted during All-Star weekend.

Since there is no write-in option for the ballot, I have taken it upon myself to boycott the Dunk of the Year voting for the good of the American public. You can take this as a public service announcement on just how badly the NBA has screwed up in choosing their candidates.

Let’s look at some of the nominees greatest “accomplishments” of their career.

LeBron James

Obviously the “King” doesn’t deserve to win. He can barely get the ball above the rim.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Greek Freak needs to get the ball through the net before he deserves any dunking awards.

DeMar DeRozan

Tip for DeRozan: only go up with style if you can come down with it on the other end.

Larry Nance Jr.

He just isn’t his dad.

Donovan Mitchell

Dunk contest winner? I guess the judges overlooked the step ladder he must’ve had to use to get up there.

Now let’s look at a few of Dennis Smith’s more casual dunks.

Look a little better than the dunk candidates? Now let’s see which one should’ve gotten a nomination.

That’s all I got. We can all agree now. The NBA has lost its mind.

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