So how did Dennis Smith Jr. finally look like Dennis Smith Jr.? Was it the sight of the Mavericks, the Knicks guard’s former team? Or was it learning from another former point guard who played in Texas?
Coach David Fizdale said he loved how Smith attacked the paint and set up alley-oops for Mitchell Robinson all night as the Knicks beat the Mavericks on Thursday at the Garden. Smith, in his second game back from a two-week family leave, revealed he watched tape of former Spurs point guard Tony Parker before the showdown against Dallas.
“So before the game I was just watching a whole bunch of Tony Parker, seeing how he got to the paint,’’ Smith said after Friday’s practice. “In the game, I guess I felt like I was TP. So I kept attacking and attacking. And trying to make things happen for my guys.”
And so he did, racking up 13 points and eight assists while bagging two 3-pointers. Yet when Smith, who earned the game ball, got back to his locker after Thursday’s thrilling 106-103 win, he felt a moment of melancholy.
“It was kind of bittersweet for me, beating the team that traded me, but my stepmom wasn’t here to see it,’’ Smith said. “You know what I’m saying? Really reflecting on that at my locker after the game. I had to take some time out to myself and really digest something like that. But it does put things in perspective.”
Smith’s stepmother, who passed away nearly three weeks ago in Fayetteville, N.C., was an avid basketball fan.
“She watched every game,’’ Smith said. “Every single game. Even when I was in college. She was a Tar Heels fan. When I went to N.C. State, she rooted for N.C. State. So it put things into perspective.’’
It has been quite the wild season already for Smith. The fans took glee in watching former Knick Kristaps Porzingis fail Thursday, but also pride in Smith, a point guard they recently had booed. Perhaps this trade with Dallas won’t be the disaster it has seemed to be.
“I think it was a matter of time,’’ Fizdale said. “A big part of it is [Smith] gained a lot of perspective when he was away from us. I think all of us as adults can attest to the fact when you lose somebody close to you and suffer real-life adversity, it puts other things in perspective, especially your job. He got back to playing, he started to look at this as more like a game instead of a job with pressure on him.”
The previous time Smith played at the Garden, in the home opener against Boston, he was floundering and was targeted with boos. There were even chants of, “We want Frank’’ when he brought the ball upcourt — a plea for Fizdale to put in Frank Ntilikina.
A day after his lowest basketball moment, Smith’s stepmother passed away and he left the team with a 1 of 11 shooting ledger.
In his first game back, Tuesday at Chicago, Smith’s game was packed with rust and he went scoreless with three turnovers — a minus-23 in 13 minutes.
“I really don’t understand exactly what was expected from the Chicago game after being out for 12 days,’’ Smith said. “You feel what I’m saying. I got a practice in, I got an NBA game under my belt. It’s not like my numbers was crazy yesterday. It’s just impacting, getting to the paint.’’
Point-guard play has been the Achilles’ heel for the Knicks, but Smith and Ntilikina may form an interesting tandem with their different styles. Ntilikina is the defender with an improving 3-point shot, Smith the penetrator. Elfrid Payton (hamstring) still is out indefinitely, but looking out of the fray.
“It’s huge,’’ Fizdale said of the point guard position. “It’s the most important position on the floor. [Smith is] just attacking. He just kept getting into that paint. He made the right decision a lot of times. He really got Mitchell going. Mitchell is a receiver. Mitchell needs guys to help him get shots. Dennis by the plays he was making made Mitchell look really good.”
Smith came into training camp with a heralded new 3-point shot that he worked on all summer with assistant coach Keith Smart. Smith admitted he might have gotten too caught up with the jumper and forgot his bread and butter.
“You can kind of say that,’’ Smith said.
For now, Fizdale will keep Smith as a reserve, partly to get him on the floor with Robinson, who now comes off the bench. But that connection may be a staple for the Knicks’ future.
“I knew it was on the way,’’ Smith said.
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