Carlisle: Mavs rookie Smith an 'instant starter and impact player'

Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle has a reputation for being tough on his rookies - especially point guards - but that won't prevent Dennis Smith Jr. from getting his shot at starting from Day 1.

The Mavs' bench boss was so enamored with the NC State product that, upon selecting Smith No. 9 overall in the 2017 draft, Carlisle announced to the team's draft night war room that he "projected Smith as an instant starter and impact player," according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

"I think that he has amazing ability that needs to be brought along the right way," Carlisle told ESPN. "That's on all of us. That's on Mark (Cuban), on me, on our coaching staff, our training staff, our strength and conditioning staff. You don't just declare a guy a franchise cornerstone player. You help put him in the position to get there. That's going to be our plan."

Carlisle has been hesitant to hand the ball over to players who are unable or refuse to follow his directions to a T. Most notably, after acquiring four-time All-Star Rajon Rondo midway through the 2014-15 season, the former Celtics star was essentially banished by Carlisle come playoff time because of insubordination.

Smith will need to show maturity and drive, otherwise Carlisle could turn starting duties over to an established caretaker like J.J. Barea or Yogi Ferrell. Still, by merely having the explicit backing of his head coach, it appears that the opportunity will be there for Smith to seize the reins in the early going.