Everyone is buying into the Dennis Smith Jr. hype, including his fellow rookies.
After impressing in summer league, the Dallas Mavericks point guard received the greatest number of votes to win Rookie of the Year in the 2017-18 NBA Rookie Survey.
Lonzo Ball finished with the second-most votes, while No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz ranked just behind him.
| Player | Percentage of Votes |
|---|---|
| Dennis Smith Jr. | 25.7 |
| Lonzo Ball | 20 |
| Markelle Fultz | 17.1 |
| Kyle Kuzma | 5.7 |
| Donovan Mitchell | 5.7 |
| Ben Simmons | 5.7 |
Ball and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum finished tied for the most votes to finish with the best career, while Fultz received just 5.3 percent of the votes.
| Player | Share of Votes |
|---|---|
| Lonzo Ball | 18.4 |
| Jayson Tatum | 18.4 |
| Josh Jackson | 10.5 |
| Dennis Smith Jr. | 10.5 |
| De'Aaron Fox | 7.9 |
| Markelle Fultz | 5.3 |
| Harry Giles | 5.3 |
| Ben Simmons | 5.3 |
Fans may want to wait before crowning Smith Rookie of the Year, as rookies have correctly predicted the winner just once since 2007.
Thirty-nine rookies took the survey earlier in August.
