Dennis Smith, Jr. Thread

[Jeff Van Gully]

He's Derrick Rose 2.0. No?

Derrick Rose 0.5

3tothehead be like

mvp rose couldn't shoot, but was still kind of unstoppable. he really imposed his will in the paint.

[Phish Tank]

it'll be fun watching him the rest of the season.. hopefully the losing doesn't frustrate him too much

[Jeff Van Gully]

So far, offensively, he's providing what Rose gave us. A bit more passing, and better defense.

Rose had tunnel vision and a complete aversion to even attempting 3's. Smith has been better in those regards.

rose had a good mid-range going. i thought his shooting percentages were pretty good in NY. if junior could improve his shot the way rose has, he could be a better player overall because he's a better passer. much purer point than rose ever was.

The issue with Rose is that he only shot mid-range or layups, and always played the PnR to his shot. The dude played entirely for himself.

DSJ doesn't have that issue, but it's hard to get a sense of his feel for the game due to his youth and the talent around him at this point. Especially since we aren't running anything other than a bunch of PnR's for him. He's been good in his role, if inconsistent.

He's given us all a reason to watch this season though, so that's worth something.

yes on all accounts. junior is trying to get others involved. doesn't strike me as selfish. never has.

rose been about option #1.

[ny-n-md]

accidentally responded in a locked thread.

Having this kid just feels right. Should’ve drafted him in the first place. Could be the best PG from his draft class. He’s young with a whole lot of upside.

It’s still early. When it’s all said and done, DSJ could still be the best PG. Some players start off better than others but then they plateau, while others keep improving. The kid has all the tools is all I’m saying.

I love Fox though and right now he’s leading the pack.

[Jeff Van Gully]

accidentally responded in a locked thread.

Having this kid just feels right. Should’ve drafted him in the first place. Could be the best PG from his draft class. He’s young with a whole lot of upside.

It’s still early. When it’s all said and done, DSJ could still be the best PG. Some players start off better than others but then they plateau, while others keep improving. The kid has all the tools is all I’m saying.

I love Fox though and right now he’s leading the pack.

i couldn't agree more. way too early. fox looks legit.

i disagree about one thing, junior is missing a very key tool that i was always concerned about with him. his athletic gifts are immense. he is a skilled passer. talented in the paint. i don't trust his jump shot... or his free throws. he gets his shooting together, he's a problem.

[blueNorange]

it's very easy to see dsj's flaws.

as long as that hitch is there, he probably won't be a threat on the perimeter. he's also off balance a lot on shots.

what's with these kids thinking they can be kobe and shoot off balanced?

[CDAZ]

it'll be fun watching him the rest of the season.. hopefully the losing doesn't frustrate him too much

What was he winning in dallas?

[CDAZ]

accidentally responded in a locked thread.

Having this kid just feels right. Should’ve drafted him in the first place. Could be the best PG from his draft class. He’s young with a whole lot of upside.

It’s still early. When it’s all said and done, DSJ could still be the best PG. Some players start off better than others but then they plateau, while others keep improving. The kid has all the tools is all I’m saying.

I love Fox though and right now he’s leading the pack.

I was just about to say Fox got something to say about that comment. Kid has been solid all season long.

[Phish Tank]

it'll be fun watching him the rest of the season.. hopefully the losing doesn't frustrate him too much

What was he winning in dallas?

idk but he seems to get easily frustrated from what I'm reading about recently. Someone mentioned about the body language thing.

[KnicksGod]

But his percentages have been decent and much better than his rookie year so the shot must have been falling in Dallas.

He's adjusting to being a Knick. Very understandable lol.

it is long range shooting tho? i don't know. if anyone has the shot chart/splits, i'm curious. not curious enough to pull it up myself tho.

shot selection goes a long way. but if he's taking more layups, that's good. just doesn't indicate improvement from distance.

if he has, that's awesome.

All I know is that he was shooting about 35% from 3 when we got him.

[drekwins]

accidentally responded in a locked thread.

Having this kid just feels right. Should’ve drafted him in the first place. Could be the best PG from his draft class. He’s young with a whole lot of upside.

It’s still early. When it’s all said and done, DSJ could still be the best PG. Some players start off better than others but then they plateau, while others keep improving. The kid has all the tools is all I’m saying.

I love Fox though and right now he’s leading the pack.

i.e. - Tyreke Evans (won ROY) vs. Steph, Jrue, Teague, Rubio

Fox is very good. DSJ may not be better but he can still be very good. Fox might be the best PG in the league someday or close to it. There hasn't been a lot of PG talent to flood the NBA recently. IMO, Fox, Luka (if you consider him a PG), Russell, Simmons and Murray are the best of the last 5 years. Others to consider are: Elfrid Payton, Lavine, Smart, Rozier, Dunn, Brogdon, Levert, Fultz, Lonzo, Frank, DSJ, Trae Young, Sexton, Shai...

I think Luka is the clear cut number 1 of the last 5 years... Fox is right behind him though in a race for second. DSJ can be up there with anyone if he keeps improving.

[stuporman]

I'm going to allow him time to develop but unless he improves in some key areas he won't become a winning player or a major piece to a winning team and just be a player who gets empty stats sometimes in a spectacular way.

Specifically those key areas are, his jumper in all different ways he takes them, his FT shot needs to get better because if he's going to get attempts he needs to make a better rate of them and his defensive consistency both individually and in a team concept.

Highlight reel plays that make fans go ooh and aaahh but don't make the players around him better or the team better doesn't impress me. Obviously on the current Knicks team with all the young players in development mode the wins aren't going to be very many.

So, I'm not sure we will be able to make any judgement about his impact on team play for the rest of this season because it's a tanking season and this may become a moot point if the Knicks add a star at the PG position in FA so......... time will tell.

[Spree2Houston]

Guy looks like a better version of Emannuel Mudiay. Not great but not bad either. It's a wait and see approach. His career trajectory will heavily depend if he can develop a good jumpshot. If he can, then he will develop into an all-star. If he can't, then he's going to be a back-up on a contending team.

[NYKAL]

it'll be fun watching him the rest of the season.. hopefully the losing doesn't frustrate him too much

I think he's so happy to be away from Coach Rick who never let him play with any freedom even before they fell in love with their shiny new toy. I don't think there is enough season left to dampen his spirits.

[Spree2Houston]

One thing I will say, I would rather have DSJR over Lonzo Ball 10/10 times

[drekwins]

Guy looks like a better version of Emannuel Mudiay. Not great but not bad either. It's a wait and see approach. His career trajectory will heavily depend if he can develop a good jumpshot. If he can, then he will develop into an all-star. If he can't, then he's going to be a back-up on a contending team.

That's like saying that Porzingis is a better version of Alex Len lol Mudiay has a large sample size of data showing that he's not good. DSJ had a great rookie year and finished 5th in ROY voting (over Fox, Frank, Fultz and Lonzo). Simmons was first, followed by Mitchell, Tatum and Kuzma... it was a very good class.

The dude came out of the gates putting up 15, 5 and 4... and is clearly a starting PG in the NBA... at 21 years old. Ya'll are comparing him to guys like Kyrie (ROY - 1st pick), Rose (MVP, 1st pick and ROY), CP3 (Legend), Curry (Legend), Lillard (6th overall pick but didn't enter the league until he was 23), Wall (1st overall pick, ROY)...

Compare him fairly...

Kemba - DSJ was better at the same age
Westbrook - DSJ is a better shooter RIGHT NOW than Westbrook ever was (shot 22% from 3 at 21 years old)
Simmons - Can't shoot whatsoever
Conley - Always been a streaky shooter. Didn't become big time until 25-26 years old.
Lowry - They almost traded him for Shump... the dude was a late bloomer (SHOT 25% from 3 at 21 years old, 69% from FT line)
Rubio - Has only shot 41% or better once... terrible 3pt shooter. DSJ is a better 3pt shooter right now.
Bledsoe - At 22, he shot 20% from 3. Terrible AST/TO percentage.
Dragic - Not a good FT shooters. Not nearly as good of a 3pt shooter or passer as people assume. DSJ is about equal to his shooting ability right now.

Bottom line: All of you suggest alternates like there's other options available who are better. You want a 21 year old that makes perfect decisions, hits 38-40% from 3, has a 3:1 AST/TO ratio, plays stellar defense, can create offense for others and himself on demand.....

YOU ARE DESCRIBING SOMEONE THATS BETTER THAN GARY PAYTON! STEVE NASH DOESNT MEET THIS IMPOSSIBLE STANDARD! JKIDD DOESNT EITHER.

Compare DSJ today vs. Lowry, Kemba, Bledsoe and Dragic's stats... he EASILY meets that standard...

[HarthorneWingo]

Derrick Rose 0.5

3tothehead be like

mvp rose couldn't shoot, but was still kind of unstoppable. he really imposed his will in the paint.

He's shooting over 40% from 3 this year last I heard.

[3toheadmelo]

He's Derrick Rose 2.0. No?

Derrick Rose 0.5

3tothehead be like

Tbh the only thing that him and rose have in comparison is athleticism. Smith plays defense and can actually run point

[Thugger HBC]

I still call Dennis young Marbury without the issues.

[blueNorange]

I still call Dennis young Marbury without the issues.

spot on comp tbh.