What Dennis Smith Jr. brings to the Brooklyn Nets

Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Smith Jr. began his NBA career as the ninth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft out of NC State by the Dallas Mavericks and from there, it seemed that his career continued to change by the season. Smith Jr. started his career well by making the All-Rookie second-team for the 2017-18 season, but ended up being traded from the Mavericks to the New York Knicks the very next season for a deal that brought Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas.

Smith Jr. was with the Knicks until February of 2021 when he was traded from the Knicks to the Detroit Pistons. Smith Jr.’s time with New York is when the basketball world started to see his career falter as his averages were down across the board compared to the heights that he reached while with the Mavericks. In fact, during the 2019-20 season, Smith Jr. started to display inconsistency in his play, dealt with injuries, and even had to prove himself despite having to deal with the death of his stepmother.

After his Knicks tenure, Smith Jr. spent time with the aforementioned Detroit and the Portland Trail Blazers in reserve roles that were markedly different from what he was used to early in his career. To his credit, Smith Jr. had a career revitalization during his stint with his hometown Charlotte Hornets in the 2022-23 season. While his scoring prowess seemed to have escaped him, Smith Jr. found a way to make an impact by playing amazing defense and letting his game go from there.

Now, Smith Jr. is with Brooklyn on a one-year, $2.53 million contract to see if the Nets can be his next home for the long-term. Let’s see what Smith Jr. brings to the table at this point of his career for a Brooklyn team vying for the playoffs and beyond next season:

Defense

At this point of Smith Jr.’s career, his best asset is his defense, specifically on-ball. Smith Jr. found during his time in Charlotte that his way to getting back on the floor in any meaningful capacity is by playing great defense to set up whatever he is able to do on the offensive end of the floor.

Smith Jr. averaged 1.4 steals per game (tied for 16th in the league) last season in just 25.7 minutes per contest which shows how effective he was at disrupting the opposing ball-handler at the point of attack. As you can see below, even Smith Jr. is aware of how effective he is on the defensive end due to his physical profile and impressive instincts when guarding the ball.

Attacking the basket

Smith Jr. is not the offensive dynamo he was when he came into the league, but part of that is still present in his game in terms of his driving ability.

According to NBA.com, Smith Jr. averaged 9.2 drives per game (65th in the league), but he shot 46.8% on his drives to the rim. Of players with at least 9.2 drives per game last season, Smith Jr. ranked 51st in FG% on such plays ahead of players like Trae Young, Pascal Siakam, and James Harden.

For a team like Brooklyn, shooting is paramount to help guys like Spencer Dinwiddie and Nic Claxton have space to attack on the inside, but Smith Jr. can be one of those guys that lives in the paint along with the aforementioned Dinwiddie and Claxton.

Experience

Smith Jr. has been in the NBA for the past six seasons and while he is still only 25 years old, he will turn 26 in November, Smith Jr. brings a level of experience that will be helpful for the entire roster. Not only has Smith Jr. been a good player in his own right, he also seen what it is like to be fighting for his career.

Brooklyn’s team is young, but it has a lot of players who are either in their prime or just starting to enter it. Now, with Joe Harris and Patty Mills traded away, the veterans on the team are Dorian Finney-Smith (30 years old), Spencer Dinwiddie (30), and Royce O’Neale (30).

Smith Jr. can fit right in with what the team needs due to how his career has progressed and it seems that he is willing to do what it takes to contribute to the organization.

Story originally appeared on Nets Wire