Mavs' Carlisle: Smith Jr. out 'awhile' with sprained ankle

There are 12 games remaining in the Dallas Mavericks' season, and rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr. is going to miss a handful of them.

"He's going to be out for awhile, but not serious," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said, according to Mavs.com's Dwain Price. "I don't have a timetable, but he's going to miss, I would say, some games."

The 20-year-old N.C. State product sprained his left ankle in Saturday's loss to the Brooklyn Nets. With a 22-48 record - fifth-worst in the NBA - the Mavericks have little impetus to rush the 2017 No. 9 pick back to action.

Despite Carlisle's reputation for favoring steady veterans over youth projects, Smith has started all 61 games in which he's appeared this season, ranking second on the team in points (15), assists (4.9), and steals (one) per game.