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New York Knicks: Dennis Smith Jr. is entering a bottomless pit

By Rob Wolkenbrod

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 26: Dennis Smith Jr. #5 of the New York Knicks looks on during their game against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden on October 26, 2019 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 26: Dennis Smith Jr. #5 of the New York Knicks looks on during their game against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden on October 26, 2019 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /
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Dennis Smith Jr.’s rough ride through the first three games has become one of the New York Knicks’ main narratives.

Dennis Smith Jr. is the only player-holdover from the January Kristaps Porzingis trade. No longer do the New York Knicks have Wesley Matthews, who was waived two games after this transaction happened, or DeAndre Jordan, who left for the Brooklyn Nets in free agency. That puts an organizational pressure on the third-year guard to succeed, and so far, that has been anything but the case.

Post-trade, the first three games now seem like a dream for Smith Jr., when he averaged 21.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game on 46.9 percent shooting, reinvigorating New York’s point guard position. Head coach David Fizdale gave him every chance to succeed, and it worked for a little while.

From Feb. 9 to the 2018-19 season’s end, Smith had just 13.6 points and 5.2 assists on 40.2 percent shooting. Removing the year-ending 25-point performance had him below 13 points and 40 percent from the field.

The North Carolina State product was always a streaky scorer for the Dallas Mavericks in his first one-plus seasons in the NBA, shooting at a high volume to make baskets. It carried into the Knicks, but the outcomes have been progressively worse, leading to the start of the 2019-20 season.

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From what seemed like rust, Smith Jr.’s preseason was troublesome, with 6.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in two games, after missing the first two exhibitions due to a back injury. He shot just 17.6 percent. Working back from an injury can be difficult for any player, but the struggles have leaked into the regular season, impacting the meaningful games New York needed to start the season positively.

In three games, Smith Jr. had just three total points, one rebound and three assists on 1-for-11 shooting. Along with a handful of defensive blunders, including being torched by the San Antonio Spurs’ Dejounte Murray, both sides of the ball seem to be an issue right now.

Per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, Fizdale, after Saturday’s loss to the Boston Celtics, said the young guard is “overthinking it” and “pressing,” but thinks he will improve.

"“It’s funny how it works when you work on something so much, and it doesn’t click for you right away, how that can get to you. But he’ll keep working at it and getting better at it.”"

The Madison Square Garden crowd booed Smith Jr.’s struggles and chanted for Frank Ntilikina, who had one brief spell in the game. On the fan reaction, the former, also per Bondy, said “All we got is us in this locker room. That’s what we’ve got to focus on.”

Headlined by Smith, these three games have left the Knicks with even more questions at point guard than they entered the season with. From three capable players to just one playing, Elfrid Payton, playing effectively, it has led to Fizdale trying RJ Barrett and Allonzo Trier at the position for a scoring presence, with mixed results along the way.

The Knicks invested themselves for the 2020-21 season in Smith Jr., too, making this start even more disparaging.

Yet, this is only just three games into the year, and Smith Jr., just 21 years old, will seemingly have the chance to snap out of this rut if Fizdale has his way. The second-year coach often benched players when struggling in 2018-19, whether it was Ntilikina, Damyean Dotson or more experienced veterans in order to get them going. So far, that has not happened with Smith, and to the detriment of the team, with the aforementioned Ntilikina sitting and Wayne Ellington picking up a surprise “DNP-CD” next to his name against Boston.

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The New York Knicks have an early-season issue to work out with one of their youngest players. Perhaps it will resolve soon, but the first three games have shown anything but inspiring play from this piece towards the rebuilding effort.

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