With a solid year, Smith has a chance to a high pick in a talented 2017 draft class. ... on Smith early in the season but he is probably surpassing Lonzo ball as of late in my eyes as the 2nd best PG in the draft. They are forever linked from the decisions made about them on their draft day when Frank Ntilikina was selected by the Knicks with the No. The 2017 NBA draft did not disappoint, ... Let's start with a tweet the internet can't get over, courtesy of No. Dennis Smith Jr pre draft workout by player development coach Nick Friedman. 2017: Rd 1, Pk 9 (DAL) Status. This topic contains 11 replies, has 10 voices, and was last updated by OhCanada- 3 years, 10 months ago. – Dennis Smith Jr. 8 overall pick — one spot ahead of Dennis Smith Jr. The Dallas Mavericks are reportedly shopping young point guard Dennis Smith Jr. who was selected at No. Dennis Smith Jr. was given a clean slate to start the 2020-21 season, but it’s already been muddied after two preseason games in Motown. Can improve in the half court … Knee injury raises questions where his immense athleticism makes him injury prone. June 14, 2020 August 13, 2014 by NBA Draft Room. © 2019 Sports Phenoms, Inc., All Rights Reserved | He mixed extreme highs, with some bafflingly lackluster showings, resulting in his head coach being fired, and somewhat of a bad taste left in the mouths of Wolfpack fans. Tends to gamble a bit … Shows a floater when he beats the first line of defense but overall can improve his overall midrange game … Tends to go through the motions at times, can be too nonchalant … Doesn’t move much off the ball. Early last season, the Knicks point guard — and key piece in the Kristaps Porzingis trade … The New York Knicks’ offseason hasn’t been too eventful. Though the Knicks tried to … instagram: @desmith4 @bignickwilly @slowmotion00 Dennis Smith Jr.’s downfall in New York has been a significant one, and based on what scouts are witnessing from him early in the 2020-21 preseason, … Dennis Smith Jr. NBA Draft Scouting Report. Related News. Notes: Name is Dennis, though was sometimes referred to as "Junior". 12/15 Dennis Smith Jr. has done nothing to boost his trade value during the Knicks’ first two preseason games, Marc Berman of the New York Post notes.Though new coach Tom Thibodeau praised Smith last See More at HoopsRumors The highly touted guard sat out his senior high school season with a torn ACL and attended NC State to rehab it. 4 recruit overall and No. Posts. Luka Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr., the Mavs' prized recent lottery picks, recovered from a rough start to star in a 140-136 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in front of a rowdy sellout crowd. To his credit he has relentlessly attacked his rehab and strengthening his legs and body …. At the moment, Smith is projected to be selected in the top ten, given his highly successful freshman campaign. You will receive mail with link to set new password. Comparisons Reminds of Steve Francis and Eric Bledsoe with his breathtaking quickness and leaping ability. With a solid year, Smith has a chance to a high pick in a talented 2017 draft class. Dennis Smith Jr. Stats and news - NBA stats and news on New York Knicks Guard Dennis Smith Jr. Dennis Smith Jr. and the Wolfpack of N.C. State had a remarkably disappointing season, but the 6-3 guard remains a lottery-caliber prospect. NBA Rumors: Latest on Dennis Smith Jr.'s Future, Warriors' Draft Plans, More Kristopher Knox @ @kris_knox. Puts a ton of pressure on the defense with his dribble-drive ability. Notes: Name is Dennis, though was sometimes referred to as "Junior" Evan Tomes 10/3/16. Electrifying in the open court and makes good decisions, even at full speed. Sets up teammates well and is a willing passer. The Knicks still have Dennis Smith Jr., Elfrid Payton, and Frank Ntilikina, all young point guards that individually bring a very different range of skills to the table. Author. Smith started 69 games and averaged 15.2 points, 5. Outlook: Smith enters his freshman season at NC State. The Draft Review (with Matthew Maurer) brings you a wealth of NBA draft history through its free resource of extensive statistics, biographies, articles, interviews and this live forum. An explosive point guard with breathtaking speed. Dennis Smith Jr. was given a clean slate to start the 2020-21 season, but it’s already been muddied after two preseason games in Motown. Can be a bit too aggressive driving the ball and needs to continue to learn to harness his amazing talents. 6-2 – Point Guard – NC State. Though the Knicks tried to trade him all offseason, they The conspiracy theory is the Knicks need to raise Smith’s trade value that was at rock bottom after his sorry 2019-20 season that was wrecked by the death of his stepmother, injuries and sloppy play. This gives us a glimpse of his NBA upside, so let’s dive deeper into his NCAA performance to assess exactly how … His high end athleticism and handle is extremely attractive for a PG who stuffs the statsheet. The Knicks acquired Smith as part of their return on Kristaps Porzingis from the Mavericks in January 2019. 12, but you just never know. Draft Info. Featured Columnist April 6, 2020 Comments. This shouldn’t come as a surprise as he was once pegged as the next best point guard in the NBA. Has a unique ability to get into the lane. Which rookie was the biggest steal at where he was selected in the Draft? When the New York Knicks were on the clock with the eighth overall selection in the 2017 NBA Draft, Dennis Smith Jr. became a very realistic option. Dennis Smith Jr. was given a clean slate to start the 2020-21 season, but it’s already been muddied after two preseason games in Motown. Dennis Smith Jr. is receiving hype as a possible top 3 pick in this year’s draft, and he recently greased the wheels of his hype train with a 32 point performance in a road win at Duke. Very good finisher … Far from a one dimensional athlete… Charasmatic personality. An explosive point guard with breathtaking speed. 6 overall recruit in composite ranking by 247 sports and 10th overall by Scout … Tore his ACL on August 7 of his senior year of high school and elected to graduate high school in December … Enrolled at NC State in January of 2016 … Averaged 22.2 points per game as a junior for Trinity Christian School … Named North Carolina’s Gatorade Player of the Year while leading Trinity Christian to 1A high school state semifinal … Led Trinity to a state championship as a sophomore … Played AAU Basketball for Team Loaded…2nd Team All-ACC Selection, Strengths: Explosive point guard with size and great intangibles for the position … Elite level athlete and plays well above the rim. Dennis Smith Jr., for most of his stint in Dallas, was beloved.The organization and fans had rallied around the idea of a true rebuild. Strengths: Smith is arguably the most explosive athlete in the draft, despite tearing his ACL a little over a year ago … He is very shifty with the ball in his hands and has tremendous burst … An elite level athlete who attacks the rim like a player 5 inches bigger … Possesses solid size for a PG at 6’2 in shoes with a 6’5 wingspan and 8’1 standing reach … He is also a strong, physical guard with the ability to absorb contact and finish acrobatically at the rim (61% at the rim) … Smith has outstanding leaping ability off of both one or two feet, which led to numerous highlight reel dunks in his freshman year at NC State … He also has the strength, quickness, and speed to be an excellent on ball defender when locked in … Smith is a nightmare to guard in the open court with and his ability to change gears with power … He also attacks the rim fearlessly off the bounce where he can finish explosively above the rim with regularity … He also has an excellent first step from a stand still position and can cover a lot of ground with the dribble … He does a great job of inviting contact and getting to the free throw line frequently (6.9 free throw attempts per 40 minutes) … Smith’s strength also helps him fight through screens and recover quickly defensively … He has quick hands and good instincts and can really be a problem for opposing ball handlers when pressured (2.2 steals per 40 minutes) … Smith is a score first point guard with the ability to put pressure on the defense via isolation or the pick and roll … He is quite difficult to stay in front of due to his shiftiness and ability to drive with either hand … He is also improving as a shooter, particularly from long range where he shot a respectable 35.9% this season … Where Smith truly shines on the offensive end, however, is his ability to create his own offense … He can fill it up from all three levels, which will bode well for him in a modern NBA with an abundance of scoring point guards … He does a good job of reading his defender off the pick and roll and has the ability to rise into a pull up jumper, where he gets great elevation … He also frequently utilizes a lethal step back jumper when the guard is able to recover off the screen … He improved as a 3 point shooter as his freshman season progressed … Smith is a tough shot maker with the ability to bail his team out late in the shot clock … He has the ability to make a play on the offensive end every time he touches the ball in one way or another … Especially when his jumper is falling, there is almost no way to guard him because his so dangerous off the dribble and getting to the basket … He is exceptional at creating space with jab steps, a variety of dribble moves, and a quick rising pull up jumper … He is best when on the ball but is a capable spot up shooter when left open … He has an innate ability to attack closeouts hard to pull up off the dribble or finish at the rim … Smith primarily is looking to score, but he is a capable playmaker as well (6.8 assists per 40 minutes) … He wasn’t in an ideal situation at N.C. State, but he is capable of creating space, surveying the floor and passing the ball with either hand out of pick and roll situations … With better talent around him in the NBA, he will look like an even better playmaker … His open court speed makes him particularly dangerous in transition, as he will collapse the defense and find cutters or open shooters on the perimeter … He does not need a screen to collapse the defense … Instead he can usually break his man down off the dribble and get in the paint to kick out to open teammates … He also shows flashes of impressive vision and accuracy off the pick and roll … He will have a chance to be an absolute force on both ends of the court in the NBA … Has excellent size at the point guard position at 6’2 with a 6’5 wingspan … Shows a lot of confidence in his abilities and has a swagger on the floor, should not have any trouble adjusting to playing at the NBA level and be a standout PG at the next level … His upside is among the best of any player in this draft …, Weaknesses: Questions about attitude, focus and desire have surrounded Smith since his high school days … Has a tendency to rely on his physical gifts and not pay enough attention to detail in regards to improving as a PG … As talented as Smith is, he is still learning how to play the position and run a team offense at an optimum level … He can improve his feel for when to create his own offense or when to facilitate … He did not always seem to be on the same page with his teammates, which could be interpreted as a lack of leadership … His overall decision-making, particularly off the pick and roll still need to improve, and he needs to become more vocal to be a quality leader in the NBA … He can be a bit turnover prone, as he has a tendency to make careless entry passes and pick up his dribble against pressure without knowing where he wants to go with the ball … He does not always initiate the offense with consistency and can learn to be more unselfish … Often times he will launch a contested shot without any prior passes or turn it over before any set is run … Smith also will settle for long jumpers early in the shot clock or force contested pull up jumpers instead of getting all the way to the rim or making a play for someone else … In transition he is dangerous, but he does not always look ahead for open teammates and will instead force a low percentage shot … He does the same off the pick and roll where he will frequently miss wide open teammates when double teamed off the screen … Smith struggled with consistency this past season in terms of effort and overall impact … Fell asleep defensively far too often showing a lack of commitment and focus … Despite the fact that he has great upside defensively, his intensity has to improve … Smith did not have a great situation at NC State, but a player as talented as him should be able to carry them to a more successful season … Too often he proved to be lazy fighting through screens and closing out on shooters … He can be too upright and often appears uninterested in keeping his man in front of him … As a shooter, he still has room to improve, as he is best with some upward momentum … He releases the ball on the way down sometimes and has an occasional hitch at the top of his release, which leads to sporadic results …, Notes: Measured 6’2 in shoes, 6’5 wingspan, 190 lbs, and 8’1 standing reach in the summer of 2016 … Highest-ranked recruit NC State has signed since the Recruiting Services Consensus Index began ranking prospects in 1998 … No. 69 games and averaged 15.2 points, 5 replies, has 10 voices and... 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