Welcome to Detroit, Dennis Smith Jr

[treefi]

Nice job bringing in the 9th pick of the 2017 draft!! He's still only 23 years old and probably one of the most athletic players in the NBA.

Smith was rated as five-star recruit and considered one of the 10 best players in the 2016 high school class.

He averaged 18.1ppg, 6.2apg, 4.6rpg, 1.9spg on 45.5% shooting (35.9% from 3) as a freshman at NC State.

As a 19-year-old NBA rookie he averaged 15.2ppg, 5.2apg, 3.8rpg, 1.0spg on 39.5% shooting (31.3% from 3) with Dallas. Unfortunately, that's more than anything Killian Hayes and Sekou Doumbouya have shown so far.

Let's hope Dennis Smith Jr somehow turns his career around in Detroit!!

[JohnReese]

I got no hope at all, so anything positive coming from him would be a surprise.

I hope Weaver cashes out the rest of assets.

[dVs33]

Hopefully Casey gives him a few minutes to show us what he’s got. I’m happy weaver is bringing in guys like this while we’re tanking.

[Pandev]

Good trade in my opinion.

Dennis Smith Jr was one of the better rookies in his class and a big reason why the Knicks traded KP to the Mavs for DSJ. Not easy to put up those type of numbers as a rookie.

I think Weaver sees another potential Jackson like career turnaround in DSJ under Coach Casey.

He’s been good at finding some young unwanted diamonds in the rough. Players with something to prove playing to stay in the league with a bitter taste ala Chauncey and Big Ben.

Good upside not much risk if it fails as DRose was gone at the end of the season.

[Mr Peanut]

He's showed flashes previously. It seems like his confidence was shot in NY and that was a big part of his poor play.

In Detroit he won't have any expectations and can just play with freedom. Casey should just give him the back-up PG minutes and see what he has. Worst case scenario he's still terrible and we simply don't offer the QO in the off season.

[vic]

Theres no doubt hes a top talent - just not as good as Luka. Which is why he couldn't be the starting pg.
He definitely fits the mold of someone that Dwayne Casey can rejuvenate and turn into a star.

The only question is - is he going to be a small pg like FVV or Vinnie Johnson off the bench. I prefer a 6th man of the year type role for DSJ.

I predict he will resurrect his talent here in the D.

[Piston Pete]

If he passes more than he shoots, it might work

[rmfc]

No idea why DSJ has been such a big flop so far, but, this is a good gamble for the Pistons.
Also, it's a good thing that Casey doesn't even have the option of playing Rose.

[foolinc]

He's showed flashes previously. It seems like his confidence was shot in NY and that was a big part of his poor play.

In Detroit he won't have any expectations and can just play with freedom. Casey should just give him the back-up PG minutes and see what he has. Worst case scenario he's still terrible and we simply don't offer the QO in the off season.

I wonder if DJS is going to get a similar role to Hayes. Someone that will start with the vets, while only getting crunch time minutes if he's playing well. Then again Bey has been getting some starts now, so maybe Dennis will run the 2nd unit.

In any case, Dennis Smith Jr is the type of flier that I want to see in Piston blue over the next 2 to 3 years.

[Kilo]

New Tank Commander to keep Casey from running out Rose and Wright. DSJ can't shoot and can't get to the line. Rose probably would have led to 3-4 more wins the ROS so this is the right move. Pistons need to finish dead last to guarantee themselves at worst #5 pick.

[zeebneeb]

New Tank Commander to keep Casey from running out Rose and Wright. DSJ can't shoot and can't get to the line. Rose probably would have led to 3-4 more wins the ROS so this is the right move. Pistons need to finish dead last to guarantee themselves at worst #5 pick.

This is what I've been screaming. I see a bunch of people saying "The odds are the same if you have amongst the worst record in the league..."

No, they are not. In a draft like this, you have to make certain you not only get the highest pick you can, but also make certain you can only get as low as the #5 pick. That is the most important part of this whole tank. The Pistons where slotted at the 3rd worst record last year and landed their worst possible pick, the #7. Screw that happening again.

This team has to have the worst record so any bad luck can be mitigated as much as possible.

[MotownMadness]

I've probably seen him twice in the NBA and a few times back at NC state. Hes a athletic freak with a insane vert (like 48"). He just plays like a ball hog though which probably puts him out of favor with alot of coaches as a starting lead guard.

Could be perfect to come in off the bench and tell him to just go hog wild.

[MotownMadness]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

[Billl]

Highlight clips of DSJ dunking more than the last 30 years of combined pistons pg's.

Watch on YouTube

[King Bugs]

I hope Dennis does something, since China seems to be in his near future.

It's not like Dallas and New York didn't give him opportunities... they did, he was gifted starting spots at the 1. He's just been a really bad player. Doesn't distribute well, doesn't run an offense well, and turnovers are high considering how low his assists are. His inefficiency is nuts, Dennis shoots poorly from just about everywhere. He shoots like a center at the free throw line, never shooting higher than 69% for a season (he's a freaking point guard!).

So anything positive from him is a win... but yeah, he's pretty awful. Should be great for the tank though.

[MotownMadness]

I like that we are trying out these former top 10 picks though while we tank, Why not?

[Sort]

Well, his athleticism hasn't gone away, but a one that can't shoot or pass well seems like a one that doesn't belong in the league. I do agree with the common sentiment that his best case scenario is a change of pace guard off the bench. He'll have to be dialed in defensively to be a plus player - and I don't know his game well enough to judge that.

[Kilo]

New Tank Commander to keep Casey from running out Rose and Wright. DSJ can't shoot and can't get to the line. Rose probably would have led to 3-4 more wins the ROS so this is the right move. Pistons need to finish dead last to guarantee themselves at worst #5 pick.

This is what I've been screaming. I see a bunch of people saying "The odds are the same if you have amongst the worst record in the league..."

No, they are not. In a draft like this, you have to make certain you not only get the highest pick you can, but also make certain you can only get as low as the #5 pick. That is the most important part of this whole tank. The Pistons where slotted at the 3rd worst record last year and landed their worst possible pick, the #7. Screw that happening again.

This team has to have the worst record so any bad luck can be mitigated as much as possible.

And wins don't feel as bad if it's one of the youngsters showing out to carry the team to a surprise win. This is why Detroit hopefully moves Ellington as well. Fella gets hot from three and puts up 20+ and it's physically painful to watch. Now if Bey or Jackson or Svi did that - hey, I can even get a little excited about it even if it results in a win.

[DBC10]

I legitimately wasn't expecting any sort of assets by trading Rose, so getting DSJ back is palatable even though he doesn't look like he belongs in this league

Try him out for this year and cut ties with him after we draft Cade. Seems like a win win

[vege]

You guys know DSJr is a 65% career FT shooter and 45% TS right? I didn't bother to check but I wouldn't be surprise if that's the lowest among guards in the league.