Dennis Smith, Jr. Thread

[TruthBeTold]

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That is nice to see. I got my copy of MK11 in the mail on Friday. I played it for about a half hour so far. It looks better than MK10, but I enjoyed playing MK10 better with all the easy kombos.


The truth about DSJ first year with the Knicks.
I finally got to see multiple games for DSJ to understand what kind of player he is. Base on what I've seen, I got good news and bad news.
Bad: We all know he is a poor shooter and doesn't play with a lot of confidence because of his poor shooting, but that is not the biggest problem with DSJ. The biggest problem with DSJ is his poor basketball IQ and shoot selection, which cost him to struggle every game with scoring efficiency and shooting percentage. So in the off season, he has to get his body/better shape, shooting, and shot selection right with improve basketball IQ.

Good: DSJ is a true point guard and he is young and improving. He is talented enough to be an All Star, but mentally and physically he is not there yet. Improve shooting will help, but he has to be smarter on the court. He can score from anywhere on the court and can get to the rim anytime he wants. He is a better player when he is being aggressive.

Year 3 is going to tell the full truth about DSJ. Hopefully he will be the backup to Kyrie. You will find out if he want to be great point guard base on his effort to get better during the off season. Year 3 also means no more excuses if you are still having the same rookie problems. If Smith Jr. wants to be a great point guard in the NBA, then you should see signs by his third season.

[thebuzzardman]

I bet you could dribble that guy next to DSJr, if you tried

[3toheadmelo]

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Dime: Players who want to take over in big spots are usually born with that characteristic and mold it over their careers. Since your days at North Carolina State, you’ve proved to be from that mold. What goes into that for you?

Dennis Smith Jr.: I think it’s definitely something that you’ve got to work at. It’s the mentality of your game, through a lot of the things that you do, whether it’s strength and conditioning, playing with older people, or just being a smaller guy, it’s something that you gain over time.

How about heart?

A lot of it. A lot of it.

It’s also evident that you play big. You stay in attack mode, you challenge opponents at every position and you remain aggressive at all times. Is that your M.O.?

Yeah I got that. There ain’t no back down from me. That’s just how I am. I’ve always been like that and I think it’s helped me get here, so I’m going to keep on.

Where does that come from?

Family. I got a lot of older cousins, older sister, they never let me have anything easy. So I had to play with a chip on my shoulder. Whether I won or lost, I’ve got to bring it if I want to have a chance. I was younger and I was smaller than everyone too.

For a lot of players, being undersized and at times overlooked helps fuel you to go harder. So going against the bigger, older guys pays off when you advance from one level to the next.

Right. In the grand scheme of things it does. I played with them and I may not have been as good as them at the time, but eventually I’m gonna get there. And most of my friends were older, too. In my neighborhood there wasn’t too many people my age. I don’t really have friends right now that are 21 or 22, it’s 23 and up. At a young age, they had advantage just being older than me.

Fast forward to going at established vets in the NBA. You come in and you’re used to challenging guys, but this is at the highest level. How did you find a way to establish yourself?

It’s crazy because I got to see both sides of the spectrum. So in Dallas we had J.J. Barea, Devin Harris, Dirk Nowitzki…all vets. Me and [Dorian Finney-Smith], and then Luka of course, we were the only guys on rookie contracts.

It was a team full of vets, and you come in as a point guard, you expect to lead them and things like that. I learned that the best way to lead is to earn your respect first. You got to come in, do your work, earn your respect and then they’ll listen to what you got to say. If you’re not doing what you’re supposed to do, it’s in one ear and out the other with them. They’ve been there, done that.

Now I’m on the team with all young guys. It’s amazing, in just two years in the league I get to see both sides of the spectrum, and how the vets look at things. By no means am I a vet, I’m still a young guy and I still make mistakes, but there’s a lot of things I learned from the vets that I see a team of young guys. Now I see why this guy was telling me this that and the third when I was in Dallas. It’s a cool experience to see both sides.

So when the trade is made and you end up in New York on a Knicks team with so many young players, do you come in there drawing from what those vets passed on to you in a season and a half?

Definitely. For me, going from Dallas to New York, coming in there with a level of confidence. Not really getting down on myself or anything. Just finally being able to play my game. Going out there in a mode of not thinking, just reacting. It’s a lot easier for me to play.

Playing in New York now, it’s a bigger stage and the biggest market. Does that present another challenge on another level?

Speaking for myself, I don’t really thinking about that when I’m playing. Just go out there and just hoop. You don’t think about that.

It also happens where you see get thrust into the spotlight too fast and they don’t have their priorities right. There are so many distractions and you’re expected to a poised adult at nineteen, and it can go sideways fast. What keeps you focused?

That’s the truth though. You see that a lot. I’m mature for my age. I got a real good, big family, and they do good of supporting me and keeping me humble. So, I don’t really have to worry about getting out of line and not taking care of my business. They stay on me about that.

Now we have this collaboration with your Under Armour HOVR Havoc and this new Mortal Kombat. What’s the story behind it?

We were in Las Vegas last year for Summer League and we were releasing the HOVR Havoc. It was just an idea I had — it really came with the idea in Fayetteville, where I’m from. The hesitation move, it freezes people, and we call it the “Sub-Zero.” I brought the idea to Under Armour and they accepted it. They came up with the design for the shoe.

In the spirit of Mortal Kombat, we’ll call your signature move your on-court “Fatality” finisher, which is what?

Yeah so mine is like a Sub-Zero. My move is a hesitation, boom, boom. If I do it, I blow past a guy and he’s standing there like he’s froze. So that’s how the Sub-Zero correlation came along. That’s Fatality time there. I’m getting to the rack

[NoStatsGuy]

DSj needs to go.

i dont want an athletic point guard, that cant shoot. look what happened to russ

[taj2133]

DSj needs to go.

i dont want an athletic point guard, that cant shoot. look what happened to russ

I think dsj will get traded if kyrie come and think the team that will trade for him is charlotte depending on what kemba walker does in free agency. Dennis smith won't be angry if he gets traded to charlotte it would be 3 hours from where he grew up in fayettiville,nc.

[NoStatsGuy]

DSj needs to go.

i dont want an athletic point guard, that cant shoot. look what happened to russ

I think dsj will get traded if kyrie come and think the team that will trade for him is charlotte depending on what kemba walker does in free agency. Dennis smith won't be angry if he gets traded to charlotte it would be 3 hours from where he grew up in fayettiville,nc.

agree 100%. thing is.. im not so sold on kyrie to the knicks. seems like a pipe dream.

i would honestly consider going all in on drafting ja morant, if we dont land #1 or #2 pick. unless it means signing bad contracts or give up mitch.

i mean if KD and Kyrie really come here, we dont need to worry anyway

[F N 11]

The team is talented.

[thebuzzardman]

There were people who hated Frank who are glad that DSJr is here now, who came at the expense of KP.

Hopefully both Frank and DSJr are gone next season so we'll have none of them.



No Frank, No DSJr, No KP.

Maybe management can trade that #1 and Mitch along the way as well.

[Juggynaut]

I'm a DSJ critic, but I still like his potential. He's definitely a NBA player. I would keep him if Kyrie ain't coming.

[3toheadmelo]

Pretty excited to see him play next season. Hoping we give him a shot at starting PG instead of signing Kemba/Kyrie. I think it will be worth it.

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Knicks coach David Fizdale said last month that he'd like to see guard Dennis Smith Jr. improve his shooting and conditioning. And that's exactly what Smith Jr. plans to work on this summer.

"He's focused on shooting and conditioning, 1000 percent," Smith Jr.'s longtime trainer, Shawn Farmer, said in a phone interview Friday with SNY.

Smith Jr., who suffered a minor ankle injury recently, will work to make some changes to his shooting form this summer, both under the guidance of Knicks coaches and on his own.

"Besides repetition with his shooting, he's going to do some mechanical tweaks. He's realized that there are some things in his mechanics that have to change," Farmer said of Smith Jr., who shot 42 percent overall and 32 percent from behind the arc last season. "From what I'm hearing, he's going to work with a couple of the Knicks assistant coaches. And he's going to do some stuff on his own, which is to be determined. But his main focus is mechanics."

Knicks top assistant coach Keith Smith has been working with Smith Jr.

Below is a brief Q&A with Farmer on Smith's conditioning, potentially playing with Kevin Durant and whether or not Smith Jr., the best player the Knicks received in the Kristaps Porzingis trade, pays attention to potential trade rumors.

Q: What are Smith Jr.'s goals with his conditioning?
A: "His goal, from just talking to his dad, is to be in the best shape of his life. Being in shape, some guys think they're in shape but then when you start playing an 82-game season, then you realize, 'Hey I'm not really not in shape like I thought I was.' .... So he's definitely on board with trying to be the most well-conditioned athlete on the floor."

Q: How do you think he would fit with RJ Barrett, a likely pick for the Knicks at No. 3?
A: "First and foremost, Dennis Smith can play with dinosaurs (laughs). He can play with anybody. We can go down to the elderly home and he can play with them. I've seen this kid since 6th grade, with players that are talented, not as talented, and I've seen him make them better. He wouldn't have an issue playing with anybody."

Q: What about his potential fit with Kevin Durant?
A: "I think that could take Dennis' game to another level. He has a lot of respect for the superstars in the league. Dennis would welcome any advice, especially from someone from Kevin Durant's caliber. Junior will listen to anybody; he has a filter where he can decipher what's good for him and what's not. So I'm sure with all the experience that KD has in the league, and the success that he's had, Junior will probably be sitting at his locker every day. Or asking to go out to dinner. Because Junior wants to be great. I don't understand why people think he just plays the game to play the game.Even though he's not having the (kind of production in previous) years that he's wanted, he still thinks that he's one of the best players out there."

Q: There's been so much discussion among fans and media about which point guards the Knicks may sign in free agency. Does Dennis pay attention to any of that?
A: "I haven't been around him a lot (lately). But from the time I've been around (Smith Jr. in New York) going to games, Dennis doesn't even mention that stuff. Dennis is trying to be the best basketball player that he can be for the New York Knicks. He don't think about trade scenarios, he don't think about who's coming in because he's a team player. He allows the powers that be to do their job and he focuses on his job, period. That's who he is."

Q: So the speculation from fans and media that he'd be a part of a trade package in a deal for Anthony Davis - that's not on his radar?
A: "I've never heard Junior say anything about trade rumors. I haven't heard that. For whoever is reading this, he's the type of kid who controls what he can control. And right now, what he can control is getting in better shape and being a better shooter and being a better player, totally. He doesn't put energy toward (trade rumors). Of course, he hears it. I think he lives on the planet Earth, so it's kind of hard with all of this social media stuff. Does he dwell on it? No. Does he lose sleep over it? No."

[F N 11]

Just glad he’s tryna be the best player he could be and not worrying about other chit.

[NYKHardKnock]

If he can work hard like Mudiay did on his jumper he’d become a star. Unlike Mudiay, Dennis has an actual NBA game.

It’ll actually be fun to watch a mudiay-less Knicks

[blueNorange]

Pretty excited to see him play next season. Hoping we give him a shot at starting PG instead of signing Kemba/Kyrie. I think it will be worth it.

[blueNorange]

hey guys lets avoid signing good players because the current pg who's done nothing productive in the nba and has a bad back has a nice fluff piece that just came out.

[3toheadmelo]

hey guys lets avoid signing good players because the current pg who's done nothing productive in the nba and has a bad back has a nice fluff piece that just came out.

[Dantares]

I dont think dennis will be happy if kyrie and durant come here. Durant is one of the league leaders in iso plays and kyrie needs the ball as well. And then to top it off we are probably going to prioritize rj barrett as a playmaker over dennis.

Dennis has got to learn how to play off ball effectively.

[ny-n-md]

I’m another one excited about his potential and improvements added to his game over the summer. This kid has a lot of potential and this will be his 3rd year which could be his breakout season.

[moocow007]

Smith's biggest problem is his ego. It's been talked about before where he thinks he's better than he is and knows more than he does. Even his trainer basically (and indirectly) said that in a recent interview about how playing with KD would help Smith Jrs game explode. Talent and tools are there. It's the maturity and team play (playing with others and making his teammates better) that he needs to figure out. Kinda like another former Knick guard.

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[blanko]

His freethrow percentage dropping is a concern

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[Fat Kat]

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