New York Knicks: 3 players set for a breakout season in 2020-21
3. Dennis Smith Jr.
Let’s be real. For Dennis Smith Jr., the 2020-21 NBA Season will be a make-or-break for his career. A once extra-hyped prospect and rookie will either have his best season yet or start looking for a new city to play in next year.
Smith’s New York Knicks life started out extremely optimistically. Traded by the Dallas Mavericks mid-sophomore season in the package deal that landed them Kristaps Porzingis, the first signs were nothing but pleasant.
In the span of 21 games he appeared in after getting traded by the Mavs, Smith averaged 14.7 points and 5.4 assists per game, surpassing the 25-point mark on three separate occasions.
So when did things go wrong for New York’s own highlight reel? Unfortunately, Smith was struck down by misfortune, as he suffered a family loss, just a few games into his third season in the league, 2019-20.
Due to this mishap, Smith missed a few weeks to be with his family, leading to him being replaced in the point guard rotation by David Fizdale. Before he knew it, both Frank Ntilikina and Elfrid Payton were getting far more minutes than him, leaving Smith with the scraps.
You can make the case that missing a couple of weeks of basketball activities does not excuse him for having a terrible season overall, and that’s probably true. As the tip-off approaches, DSJ is in hot water. With Thibodeau be able to help the mini version of D-Rose he has on his hands?