Nets’ Dennis Smith Jr. says he’ll ‘be a dog every chance I get’
Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Smith Jr. has always been a competitive player, even back to his days as a youth growing up in Fayetteville, North Carolina. While his playing style now is different from what it was when he came into the NBA as the ninth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Smith is still competing all the same.
After reinventing himself as a defensive stalwart last season with the Charlotte Hornets, Smith is getting the chance to do the same thing with Brooklyn this season. Now that the Nets are moving on from the Kevin Durant/Kyrie Irving era, the team will need to hang its hat on the defensive end, which is perfect for Smith.
Smith is arguably the best defensive guard on the roster and that alone could be enough for him to see consistent playing time in the early going. During training camp this week, Smith has been trying to earn as much playing time as possible and he has been raising the intensity level for everyone else to follow.
Smith talked on Friday about what he is looking to do during training camp and he had some interesting things to say:
“Just a level of competitiveness. I’m gonna be a dog every chance I get. I’m gonna compete, I’m gonna fight, and I want to win games. I don’t want to lose and I think that’s going to rub off on guys. Dorian (Finney-Smith) (is) the same way. So, we both bring that to the team and you can’t help but follow suit.”
"Imma be a dog every chance I get. I'm going to compete, I'm going to fight, and I want to win games. I don't want to lose."
Dennis Smith Jr. on his compete level and his intensity: pic.twitter.com/VKkHSEn6w3
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) October 6, 2023
