Recent 9th Overall Pick In NBA Draft Officially Signs With New Team
Dennis Smith Jr. had a lot of hype coming out of college.
The former NC State star played one season for the Wolfpack and averaged 18.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game.
The Dallas Mavericks selected him with the ninth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
During his rookie season, he averaged 15.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists per contest in 69 games.
However, the following season the Mavs traded him to the New York Knicks.
Currently, he is 25 years old and has not the kind of NBA career that most expected.
On Friday, the Charlotte Hornets officially announced that they had signed the veteran guard (h/t Hoops Rumors).
Hornets PR: "Charlotte Hornets President of Basketball Operations & General Manager Mitch Kupchak announced today that the team has signed free agent guard Dennis Smith Jr. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed."
Smith Jr. played in 37 games for the Portland Trail Blazers last season and averaged 5.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per contest.
In addition to the Trail Blazers, Mavs and Knicks, he has also played for the Detroit Pistons.
Over 216 career regular season games, he averages 10.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists per contest.
This is a good signing for the Hornets because they have been a mediocre team as of late and have not made the NBA Playoffs since 2016. They've been close, but haven't gotten into the postseason enough to make everyone happy.
Therefore, taking a chance on a player like Smith who still has potential is worth it.
