Not even three years ago, the mere idea of packing his bags, crossing the pond, leaving the NBA, and exploring his possibilities in European basketball was almost an affront to Dennis Smith Jr. "I'm not going abroad. If things don't work out for me, I'll go to the NFL. I'm dead serious." It was just before signing with the Hornets, the penultimate lifeline of a story already seen, that of a star project that starts to go wrong until ending up out of a league that not long ago welcomed him with high expectations.
Because when the point guard was chosen as the 9th pick in the 2017 draft, not yet 20 years old, the Mavericks believed they had found the cornerstone of their reconstruction. Eight years later, after a series of trades and injuries, Dennis reaches where he hadn't seen before. He is the long-awaited winter reinforcement for Real Madrid. He landed in the Spanish capital on Wednesday, underwent a medical examination, and signed his contract until the end of the season. The club made it official on Thursday morning.
Smith, a 1.90 combo guard with enormous talent, both technical and physical, always wore Jr. on his jersey. His existence is marked by the presence of his father, who raised him alone with his sister De'Aira in Fayetteville (North Carolina). A former military man, holding multiple jobs, and a single father since Helena left the family when Dennis was 13 months old. It was his father who taught him how to play basketball and he never forgets the training sessions with gloves aimed at improving his ball handling. And he did it with humility, far from models as invasive as they are close (the Ball brothers are there). "I learned everything from him, even manners."
Early on, Dennis' star was set to shine. And that despite being visited early on by injuries as well. When he was already one of the most interesting prospects in the country, playing for Trinity Christian School in Fayetteville, he tore his ACL. During the operation, doctors discovered a rarity: he had an additional anterior cruciate ligament. And although he had been ruled out for his entire senior season, he returned after two and a half months boasting a 20-centimeter improvement in his vertical jump.
He confirmed those performances in his only year at North Carolina State. From there to the Mavericks, a promising rookie year in the NBA under Rick Carlisle (15.2 points per game and included in the All-Rookie Second Team). Until a certain Luka Doncic arrived in Dallas.
Precisely from Real Madrid, where paths crossed, the Slovenian was both a friend and a nemesis to Smith. His best friend and the element that would ultimately destabilize his career, as after half a season of sporting coexistence, the Mavericks would explore other avenues by putting Dennis on the market. Traded for Porzingis, his downhill slide began with the Knicks.
Especially at the start of the following season, where he didn't seem to be in the best physical condition and the Garden made him pay for it even with boos. He wouldn't last long (he only played three games with the Knicks in the 2020-2021 season), with injuries also undermining his performance (wrist, back, knee...). Half a season with the Pistons and one without much fanfare with the Blazers.
Then, in the summer of 2022, the Rubicon came for Smith, who even gained weight in preparation for his jump to the NFL as a defender. But he was rescued by the Hornets and last season by the Nets, far from the numbers of the beginning of his career. After 326 games in the NBA, no one wanted to sign him this summer. He was going to try out in the G League (Wisconsin Herd). But then Real Madrid appeared. He hasn't played an official game since last March.
Not as desperate as a few weeks ago after winning 11 of their last 12 games, but in need of a boost on their perimeter that they hope to find with Smith's qualities. He's not a pure shooter or an excellent passer, but there are few things he can't handle offensively. Defensively as well (a role he was relegated to in his final NBA stint), he should provide the extra that neither Xabier Rathan-Mayes nor Andrés Feliz have offered. Dennis will occupy a non-EU spot and when Gaby Deck recovers, Chus Mateo will have to make a decision for ACB games between the two Americans and the Argentine.