Dennis Smith Jr. could be the potential future at point guard for the New York Knicks. Smith Jr. has been putting in work this off-season to be that guy.
The biggest concern was his shot. Smith Jr. has working on his shot to improve his shooting percentage, which was less than 40% from the field. Correcting his shot was the first step in being the Knicks future point guard.
This summer there has been multiple videos of showing Smith Jr.’s progress with this shot. Through all the videos, you can see that his shot looks more polished. His right arm is tucked and the release looks clean, getting good air under the shot. There was a hitch in his shot, which appears to be corrected.
Recently, Smith Jr. played in a Pro-Am, along with Aaron Gordan, where he dropped 50 points. The video shows Smith Jr. with a lot of hop in his game, while also showing his ‘new-improved’ jumper. Yes, it is only a pick-up game, but it is good to see that his hard work seems to be paying off.
Fans know that he has the potential to jump out of the gym and display some ‘wow’ moments. But, putting those corrections into a real game will be the test.
Some point guards make this ‘third year jump or leap’, as some would like to call it. Russell Westbrook made that jump in his third year improving his points from 16.1 to 21.9 and his field goal percentage from 41.8 to 44.2.
With all of the potential fixes in his game, Smith Jr. is ready to make that third year leap. If he is able to carry those corrections to the court this year then he can certainly begin to transform into one of the young elite point guards in the game. The athletic ability is there, now Smith Jr. needs to perform when it counts.