A former lottery pick of the Dallas Mavericks, Dennis Smith Jr.’s NBA career got off to a promising enough start, ranking fifth among rookies in scoring (even ahead of future All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Bam Adebayo) in his debut 2018 season. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for the 6’2” guard to fade into obscurity, with Smith so disillusioned by his career trajectory that, at one point this summer, he considered changing sports.
A regionally-ranked football prospect who garnered D1 interest before ultimately accepting a basketball scholarship to NC State (where he played one season before going pro), Smith had all but given up on hoops, instead spending the offseason training for a career as an NFL defensive back.
“I told my previous agent, ‘I’m not going overseas,’” said the 24-year-old, who remained adamant about not pursuing opportunities outside the country, even as offers began to dry up stateside. “If sh*t don’t work out, I’m just going to the NFL. I was dead-a** serious. I put on a lot of weight. I was going to try.”
Figuring his NBA career had run its course, Smith Jr. began bulking up in preparation for his inevitable transition to football, only for his hometown Hornets to offer him a deal just prior to training camp.
“People were just trying to write me off,” said Smith, who has averaged a respectable 13.5 points per game this year while filling in for injured starter LaMelo Ball. “I know I’m young. I’ve got time. I’m confident in myself.”
Traded to New York as part of the return package for All-Star big Kristaps Porzingis, only for the Knicks to pawn him off on Detroit two years later, Smith has lived a journeyman’s existence with the Hornets representing his fifth team in as many seasons. Clearly that lifestyle took a toll on Smith, though he wouldn’t have had it any easier in the NFL, likely facing an uphill battle just to win a roster spot, let alone be a meaningful contributor at the highest level of a sport he hadn’t played since high school.
“It’s been different,” Smith told HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (not to be confused with the comically inept branch manager of Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton office), describing his early career as a “roller coaster.” “[I] wouldn’t trade it for anybody else’s, though. I think it’s changed me in a lot of ways, made me who I am, and helped me grow. I’m thankful for it.”
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