Dennis Smith Jr. doesn’t look back at his stint with the Knicks in a negative light. In fact, his time on Broadway, underwhelming as it was, served as a benefit for the former lottery pick in the long run.
“It helped me grow as a person,” Smith, now playing for the Hornets, told The Post before the Knicks hosted Charlotte at the Garden on Wednesday night. “Without going though what I went through I wouldn’t be who I am today. I’m thankful for that whole time I was here, the good and the bad.
“The thing I learned is nobody gave me my happiness or my job, so I can’t let anybody steal it. I came in, found something to be grateful for every day, and I started to make the most of every situation I was in. That really prepared me for where I’m at now.”
Smith, now with his fifth NBA team, was traded by the Mavericks to the Knicks in the Kristaps Porzingis trade in January 2019 and played parts of three seasons in New York, starting 23 games, before getting sent to the Pistons in a trade that brought Derrick Rose back to the Knicks. His last season was Tom Thibodeau’s first with the Knicks, and Smith appeared in just three games before suffering a quad injury.
Asked if he had something to prove to the Knicks, he took the high road, saying, “It doesn’t really matter.”
“They know what I’m about, they got the tapes from two years ago when we were in practice with all them boys,” the 24-year-old Smith said. “For real, for real. All that stuff is documented. They know what I’m about.”
Smith is happy where he’s at now, playing a major role for the Hornets, averaging 13.3 points and 4.7 assists this season entering Wednesday. He’s seen increased playing time due to ankle injuries to LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier, and is coming off an 18-point, six-assist, three-steal performance in a win over the Hawks.
“Everybody’s like, ‘Oh you’re close to home, that’s what’s happening.’ I really just think it’s the coach. I’m thankful for Coach [Steve] Clifford. I’ve been a fan of his for a while,” Smith said. “He’s a coach that really puts a lot of confidence in his guys, and the way we view basketball is the same. He’s a grinder, he’s a worker, he’s about getting dirty, and that’s how he wants to win games, and I see it the same way.”
Clifford sounds just as happy to have Smith as Smith is grateful to be a Hornet.
“His defense is just, I mean, it’s terrific,” Clifford said. “His individual defense, his pick-and-roll defense, his team defense. He’s competing at an incredibly high level at that end of the floor.
“Some guys figure it out late, some guys figure it out right away. He’s a talented guy. Even though with the injuries he’s not the athlete he was, but he’s still a really good athlete even for this league. I don’t see that he’s doing anything that he can’t continue to do, frankly.”