The NBA world owes Dennis Smith Jr. an apology. Smith was the ninth overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, but nearly found himself out of the association by 2022.
Nothing is given in the NBA; whether a draft prospect is a lottery pick or not, players have to earn their spot. This applies to Smith, but he also faced an absurd amount of obstacles in his first three seasons that many lottery picks do not encounter.
As of Saturday, Nov. 5, Smith is averaging 11.6 points and 6.2 assists and shooting a healthy 42.9% from distance while filling in as the starting point guard for the Charlotte Hornets.
Smith committed to NC State as a five-star recruit out of high school, choosing the Wolfpack over top basketball schools like Wake Forest, UNC, Kentucky and Duke. He spent one year with the Pack, averaging 18.1 points, 6.2 assists and 1.9 steals during his 2016-17 freshman season, making Smith the ACC Rookie of the Year.
The success Smith had at NC State got him tons of attention going into the 2017 NBA Draft, which was already loaded with talent. The Dallas Mavericks took the then-19-year-old with the ninth pick in the draft.
The Mavericks, with Smith as their rookie point guard, finished the 2017-18 season with a worse record than they had anticipated, ending the year at 24-58. Smith played and started in 69 out of 82 games, averaging 15.2 points and 5.2 assists and earning him second team all-rookie honors.
The lack of immediate team success caused tension within the organization, and management quickly looked toward the 2018-19 draft for a solution.
With the fifth pick in the draft, the Mavericks took Trae Young and immediately traded his draft rights and a future first-round pick for Luka Doncic. The skillset of Doncic revamped the Mavs offense, but the Dallas front office felt that Smith and Doncic had playstyles that did not complement each other.
Eventually, head coach Rick Carlisle accused Smith of being jealous of the more NBA-ready Doncic, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Doncic was having an outstanding rookie campaign while Smith was having struggles in his second year.
Dallas obviously felt Doncic was the future of the franchise at the unfair expense of Smith, who was traded in early 2019 to the New York Knicks with other assets in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis. Smith had only played 101 games for the Mavericks before they gave up on him.
Smith was dealt to a dysfunctional New York team, where he spent one full season, and was ultimately phased out of the rotation by 2020 and was traded to the Detroit Pistons.
The biggest issue with Smith’s time in New York was the team’s lack of commitment to their acquisition. Detroit, along with Dallas and New York, is a franchise that has struggled with player development and winning. From there, Smith would sign a one-year contract with the Portland Trailblazers for the 2021-22 season that was cut short by an elbow injury.
Smith went unsigned up until the end of the 2022 preseason. Many fans expected the Charlotte Hornets to re-sign veteran point guard Isaiah Thomas as a back-up to all-star guard Lamelo Ball and fellow guard Terry Rozier, but the Hornets instead signed Smith at the end of September on a one-year contract. Prior to this, Smith thought his time in the NBA was over and was even going to try and play as a defensive back in the NFL.
The Hornets taking a chance on the North Carolina native was the right move, with Smith showing major improvements to his three-point shot, shooting a much improved 42.9% compared to last season’s 22.2% and has been an elite perimeter defender. He’s also still one of the most gifted athletes in the NBA, boasting an NBA-record 48-inch vertical.
The Hornets have been on the brink of playoff berths for two years and are looking to get over that hump for the 2022-23 season.
The Hornets have had to turn to Smith due to injuries with the Hornets backcourt. Smith has been solid through his seven starts in the nine games the Hornets have played this year. He’s been one of the most efficient guards to start the young season, with a career-high field goal percentage at 48.4%.
Smith will likely be one of the first players off the bench and could be an early candidate for sixth man of the year if the Hornets can play winning basketball.
As for the big picture, Smith still has a lot of basketball in him, and he also has untapped potential at the young age of 24. Teams will recognize the improvements to his game with Smith now being one of the better defenders at the guard position and a competent shooter.
Smith also has extraordinary athleticism that he can use to his advantage while he’s still a young player, but he has developed other skills he can fall back on as he ages. Talent is important in basketball, but so are commitment, effort and confidence. Smith was robbed of his confidence very early on but appears to have found it again.
Smith’s story is a reminder that nothing is handed to players in the NBA, and he had to learn that the hard way. It’s admirable how he was able to dig himself out of a hole and will be a talent on most NBA teams’ radar for at least the next five to 10 years.
