New York Knicks: Dennis Smith Jr. primed for breakout 2019 season

New York Knicks, Dennis Smith Jr.
Apr 9, 2019; Chicago, IL, USA; New York Knicks guard Dennis Smith Jr. (5) dribbles the ball against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

As a part of the Kristaps Porzingis deal, the New York Knicks received point guard Dennis Smith Jr., a young athlete with a ton of potential.

The bouncy guard has had an inconsistent career up to this point, fluctuating in points per game averages. However, he’s only going into his third season in the NBA and there’s reason to believe he will finally reach his potential in 2019.

The New York Knicks failed to bring in a max-contract player:

While the Knicks failed to bring in superstar athletes like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, they did manage to sign Julius Randle and several other lesser options. The silver lining is that the Knicks can continue forward with their youth agenda and continue giving playing time to the inexperienced players.

Smith Jr. will undoubtedly benefit from this reality, and he’s still confident that the Knicks can be a playoff-caliber team.

“I think we can hit the playoffs. Everybody do a lot of talking and things like that,” he said, according to the NY Daily News. “I’ve never really been one to feed into it on social media and things like that. But I think we have a really good team, and especially with the way I’ve been working this summer, I think I’m going to take my game to the next level and it’s going to put us in the playoffs.”

Missing out on Irving, Kemba Walker, and D’Angelo Russell must give Smith the confidence he needs to develop into a leader on the team. The starting point guard position will be his to lose in 2019 and he is prepared to take advantage of it.

Changing his shooting technique is only a small part of what Smith Jr. has done to improve his game — he spent his first offseason with the Knicks working with assistant coach Keith Smart in North Carolina to change his mechanics. He’s been working on his outside shot:

“It’s a big difference,’’ Smith said at the Summer League. “I can’t give it a percent. [But] I can feel it. Everybody can see it from my pops and my friends. So adding that into my game, getting consistent with it, is going to open up the floor not only for me, but everybody else and make my reads a lot easier. So it’s major for me.’’

Growth needs to be an important part of Dennis’ game and should be prioritized. It seems he’s taking the appropriate steps to emerge as a trustworthy option for the Knicks and the starter for the foreseeable future.