New York Knicks: The upside of Dennis Smith Jr.

A look at one of the New York Knicks recent acquisitions, Dennis Smith Jr.

The much-discussed Kristaps Porzingis trade ignited a very entertaining trade deadline.  There is a heated debate amongst New York Knicks fans whether it was wise to part ways with the 7-foot-3 unicorn in exchange for the hopes of signing two max free agents (Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving ideally).

Since so much of this trade is predicated off of potential and what “could be”, it is important to also evaluate what the Knicks concretely got in return for their former star player. Two future first round picks in 2021 and 2023 is very nice and can be used as either tradeable assets to acquire complimentary players for two max free agents that the Knicks are “confident” about acquiring, or they can actually continue to draft young players, and they demonstrated a recent ability to do successfully (Knox, Robinson and ironically Porzingis).

Let’s ignore the expiring contracts of DeAndre Jordan and others and focus on the tangible focal point of the trade for the Knicks: Dennis Smith Jr.

Let’s remember the 2017 draft when the overwhelming consensus from Knick fans was to draft Smith Jr., however the former team president, Phil Jackson, decided to go with the promising guard from France, Frank Ntilikina. Well Knicks fans, the team finally secured him.

The Positives:

Smith Jr. is the best New York Knicks point guard since…Chauncey Billups? Jeremy Lin? The point being, it’s been quite some time since we’ve had someone solid running the offense and Smith Jr. definitely has the potential to do so successfully for years to come.

Elite athleticism from the guard position is always a huge benefit to a team and Smith definitely has demonstrated that he at the very least possesses this skill. If he is able to solidify his jump shot and improve getting his teammates involved, then we are looking at a potential all-star caliber player in the eastern conference. If the Knicks completely strikeout on free agency, at the very least they have a viable player/asset in Smith Jr.

The Negatives:

The point of trading Porzingis, Courtney Lee and Tim Hardaway Jr. was to unload cap space with the hopes of signing two max players.  If New York’s master plan succeeds and they sign either Kyrie Irving or Kemba Walker, they would definitely presume the starting point guard role which would leave Smith Jr. mainly out of the roster.

The North Carolina State product has already exhibited a disgruntled attitude in Dallas when he received less of an important role with the emergence of Luka Doncic. However this negative really can be viewed as a positive because if this scenario does come true then this means the Knicks have actually done something extremely successful.

Also, having Smith Jr. as a tradeable asset will be very key for the Knicks in this scenario. After all, a big question being asked is “If Durant and Irving come to the Knicks, who are going to be their teammates?” Getting Smith Jr. has only upside for the New York Knicks.