Dennis Smith Jr. may get start at guard for Knicks as he tries to stay in the moment
Knicks guard Dennis Smith Jr. dribbles the ball upcourt against the Magic in the first half at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 6. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Dennis Smith Jr. can’t look back.
He was reminded as much before the Knicks’ last game against the Pacers when he spoke to his dad on the phone. Truth is, comparison can be your biggest enemy when you’re struggling, even if all he was doing was comparing his present self to his past self. That shouldn’t happen, the elder Smith said.
“He’s really the reason I’m so keen on this present-minded thinking,” Smith Jr. said Sunday afternoon during the Knicks’ last practice before a three-game road trip. “That’s just what he was saying — being locked in on the moment. You can’t dwell on the past, whether it’s good or bad. I can’t really control the future because, I mean, anything could happen. Anything could stop right now, so I’ve just got to focus on what’s going on.”
Right now, though, could very well mean a bit more of an opportunity for Smith, a 2017 first-round draft pick who’s had a precipitous fall from favor. Elfrid Payton (right ankle) and Frank Ntilikina (groin) are questionable for Monday’s game in Houston, which means Smith could get the call.
It would be only the third start of the season for Smith, who started regularly during the first two years of his career before the Mavericks sent him to the Knicks in the Kristaps Porzingis trade. Things have changed a lot since then. Smith is averaging only 15.5 minutes this season, with career lows across the board, including shooting 33.5% from the floor.
Although he’s only 22, people already are questioning his future in the league, and with one year left on his contract, it’s unclear whether he’ll still be a Knick next season.
Smith himself said he needs to make a concerted effort to not replay the past or worry unduly about the future. After his talk with his dad, he had one of his better overall games of the season with six assists, two steals and one turnover, though his shooting still lagged (1-for-6).
“I can’t go out and think, man, when I was in Dallas,” Smith said. “I can’t think like that. I can’t . . . I’ve got to think that this is going on now and I’ve got to do my best to limit [the Houston backcourt of James Harden and Russell Westbrook] and help my teammates.”
Interim coach Mike Miller said the biggest key is for Smith to establish some consistency in this closing stretch of 26 games. He’s battled injuries this season — including a lengthy absence because of an oblique strain — and has had to deal with some of the psychological flak from not performing up to previous results.
“He’s had some good basketball in there, so [we need to] just keep building on that and playing to his identity, starting out with the defense and athleticism,” Miller said. “Sometimes, with injuries, it breaks the rhythm of it and they’ve got to get back and find that rhythm.”
Smith said he hasn’t lost his swagger. “I’m still confident in my game,” he said. “It’s all about being present. And whenever I’m out there, I got to take advantage of the opportunity and make the most of it.”
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
