Dennis Smith Jr. got off to a great start to his career in Dallas after being named 9th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. However, after joining the New York Knicks on his second season, he struggled to crack the rotation after dealing with personal issues outside of court.
Smith Jr. has asked to play in the G League bubble, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. After logging seven DNPs in a row, Bondy reports that he is “eager for reruns and the opportunity to show that he is still an NBA prospect”. This certainly shows some of the maturity of Smith Jr., who is serious about influencing the NBA again.
The Knicks granted his request on Monday, to announce that Smith Jr. will join Ignas Brazdeikis and Jared Harperwill on Westchester Knicks for the upcoming G League season in Orlando.
During his rookie campaign with the Mavericks, he was arguably the best player with an average of 15.2 points and 5.2 assists per competition. Maybe by trusting the G League bubble, he can get back on track and have an impact on this Knicks squad that wants to push for the playoffs.
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