– Dennis Smith Jr. 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. This shouldn’t come as a surprise as he was once pegged as the next best point guard in the NBA. 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, … Puts a ton of pressure on the defense with his dribble-drive ability. 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. With the ninth pick in the 2017 NBA Draft the Dallas Mavericks select North Carolina State University guard Dennis Smith Jr. Very good finisher … Far from a one dimensional athlete… Charasmatic personality. ... 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. Dennis Smith Jr. is a point guard coming out of NC State University. Featured Columnist April 6, 2020 Comments. Early last season, the Knicks point guard — and key piece in the Kristaps Porzingis trade … Which rookie was the biggest steal at where he was selected in the Draft? © 2019 Sports Phenoms, Inc., All Rights Reserved | The Knicks had extremely high hopes for Dennis Smith Jr. when they traded for him ten months ago. Has handles and first-step ability to get into the lane and explode to the rim. Can improve in the half court … Knee injury raises questions where his immense athleticism makes him injury prone. 2017: Rd 1, Pk 9 (DAL) Status. At least Dennis Smith Jr. won’t hear any Garden boos Wednesday night. Smith though, is also in a point guard heavy class, and as a result has fallen under the radar a bit. There isn’t anyone entering the NBA Draft like Dennis Smith Jr. With his Ric Flair-like confidence and his array of skills, he is primed to be one of the best players in the upcoming NBA Draft. Has a unique ability to get into the lane. Gambles too much on defense and has to learn defensive fundamentals. Author. 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. 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 pre draft workout by player development coach Nick Friedman. Dennis Smith Jr., from Fayetteville, tied the record for the highest vertical ever recorded in NBA history with a 48-inch leap during a pre-draft workout with … Doesn’t have ideal size and can get lost among the trees. 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. 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 a polarizing talent. The Draft Review - Dennis Smith Jr. LOS ANGELES — By requesting a physical examination, Dennis Smith Jr. claimed the Knicks reneged on an agreement during their predraft meeting and that's why he declined to … Dennis Smith Jr. Stats and news - NBA stats and news on New York Knicks Guard Dennis Smith Jr. Latest on New York Knicks point guard Dennis Smith Jr. including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN. 4 recruit overall and No. Dennis Smith Jr. NBA Draft Scouting Report. 1. 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. To his credit he has relentlessly attacked his rehab and strengthening his legs and body …. 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. Blocks shots well for a guard, almost averaged a block per game over the adidas Gauntlet … Can be a good perimeter defender when committed … Has the ability to harass and rip opposing ball handler … Strong body, can finish in traffic and stay on his driving path with some contact … Draws fouls and gets to the free throw line at a high rate …, Weaknesses: Has room to improve as an outside shooter. An explosive point guard with breathtaking speed. News. Please enter your email address. 1 point guard according to ESPN.com … No. 9 overall pick Dennis Smith, Jr. 2017 NBA Draft: The Dennis Smith Jr. pipe dream. But his reportedly lackluster intangibles and awful team play has harmed his draft hype, as he may fall to the back end of the lottery in spite of many people believing he is a top 3 talent. This gives us a glimpse of his NBA upside, so let’s dive deeper into his NCAA performance to assess exactly how … 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. Active. The 2017 NBA draft did not disappoint, ... Let's start with a tweet the internet can't get over, courtesy of No. The New York Knicks’ offseason hasn’t been too eventful. Electrifying in the open court and makes good decisions, even at full speed. This topic contains 11 replies, has 10 voices, and was last updated by OhCanada- 3 years, 10 months ago. Projection: top 10 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, 5-Star Corner: Patrick Baldwin Jr. Interview, Terran Petteway NBA Draft Scouting Report, 2020 NBA Draft Results, Grades and Instant Analysis, The Elite 25 – The Top 25 Prospects in High School Basketball, 2020 NBA Draft Big Board, Mid November Edition. At the moment, Smith is projected to be selected in the top ten, given his highly successful freshman campaign. This site has no affiliation with the National Basketball Association | Website by, Seventh Woods, Kwe Parker, Dennis Smith Jr. scheduled to be in Fayetteville this weekend for the NC Basketball Showcase, Young Karolina Diamonds Shining Bright on AAU Circuit, MaxPreps 2013-14 North Carolina preseason boys basketball Fab 5, Roy Williams watches Dennis Smith and Kwe Parker, Trinity Christian wins opener at HighSchoolOT.com Holiday Invitational, Trinity Christian downs Seventh Woods, Hammond, Trinity Christian hopes to represent Fayetteville in Holiday Invitational, Trinity Christian rallies to beat HCYA, advance to title game, Trinity Christian representing an entire city in HSOT Invite finale, Thon Maker leads Carlisle to Summit Bracket title over Trinity in HighSchoolOT.com Invitational. With a solid year, Smith has a chance to a high pick in a talented 2017 draft class. 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. Dennis Smith Jr. came to the Dallas Mavericks with high expectations. The Knicks acquired Smith as part of their return on Kristaps Porzingis from the Mavericks in January 2019. With a solid year, Smith has a chance to a high pick in a talented 2017 draft class. 12, but you just never know. His high end athleticism and handle is extremely attractive for a PG who stuffs the statsheet. Dennis likely won’t be available at No. He impressed scouts at adidas Nations this year while looking explosive and fully recovered. Draft Info. Tends to hesitate when shooting off the catch … Only shot 22.5% from three over the adidas Gauntlet … Has shooting range out to the three, though still needs consistency … Can become more dedicated on the defensive end … Doesn’t always get in a low stance. Cons Must gain consistency and confidence with his outside shot and like most young players needs to work on his off (left) hand. Pros An out of this world athlete who is … Struggles to finish vs height. Pros An out of this world athlete who is a powerful dunker and explosive leaper in a 6-2 frame. Former 2017 NBA Draft classmates guards Frank Ntilikina and Dennis Smith Jr. enter their fourth seasons with dubious roles both in the Knicks’ rotation and in the team’s long-term plans. Notes: Name is Dennis, though was sometimes referred to as "Junior" Evan Tomes 10/3/16. 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. instagram: @desmith4 @bignickwilly @slowmotion00 9 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.. Knicks’ draft pick will be getting a lot of chances Knicks, top rookie take big step back Rising young Knick won’t have ‘hurt feelings’ if he’s not starting. 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. Despite his team finishing with a 15-17 record, including a 4-14 mark in the ACC, Smith still earned ACC Rookie of the Year honors behind his 18.1 points, 6.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game. Related News. Dennis Smith Jr. 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. 8 overall pick — one spot ahead of Dennis Smith Jr. You will receive mail with link to set new password. Smith Jr. possesses an array of scoring weapons and good court vision, allowing him to choose between sniping a shot from behind the arc or finding the open man in the paint. Notes: Name is Dennis, though was sometimes referred to as "Junior". Smith started 69 games and averaged 15.2 points, 5. The Dallas Mavericks are reportedly shopping young point guard Dennis Smith Jr. who was selected at No. Video Analysis by Mike Schmitz Fifteen months removed from tearing his ACL, Dennis Smith started what would become an uneven freshman campaign at N.C. State. And the rookie ninth overall draft pick didn't disappoint. Point guard Dennis Smith Jr., who was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the ninth pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, is one of many individuals on the New York Knicks playing on a rookie deal. Posts. 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. NBA Rumors: Latest on Dennis Smith Jr.'s Future, Warriors' Draft Plans, More Kristopher Knox @ @kris_knox. Outlook: Smith enters his freshman season at NC State. Lost your password? 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. June 14, 2020 August 13, 2014 by NBA Draft Room. Sets up teammates well and is a willing passer. According to someone close to … 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. Incredibly explolsive and has a lightning first step …  Attacks the rim with aggression. Great leadership … Has a team first mentality … Highly unselfish, very willing passer … Has an advanced feel for the game … Controls the tempo of the game well … Sees the floor and passes the ball well … Led the adidas Gauntlet in assists with 6.9 per game … Plays with patience and doesn’t force his offense … Quick decision maker, reads and reacts well … Plays well in isolation and thrives in transition … Handles the ball well and gets where he wants with his dribble … Good defensive ability. 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. Comparisons Reminds of Steve Francis and Eric Bledsoe with his breathtaking quickness and leaping ability. 6-2 – Point Guard – NC State. New, 57 comments. Has a unique ability to get into the lane. Scouting Report by Jonathan Givony. 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