New York Knicks point guard Dennis Smith Jr. worked diligently on his jump shot this summer and his head coach, David Fizdale, can tell.
Fizdale says Smith's jumper is “more efficient.”
Knicks PG Dennis Smith Jr.'s jumper after he spent summer changing it.
"It’s a lot better," Fizdale said. "It’s a lot less movement, it’s more efficient… He’ll have days where it’s not as great. But I think consistently now he’s got a shot that has a better chance of going in." pic.twitter.com/4v8FOszs7X— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) October 1, 2019
Dennis Smith Jr. is shooting 40.7 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from beyond the arc in his NBA career thus far. Of the 150 players in the league last season to take at least 200 pull-up jumpers, Smith’s 35 percent shooting ranked 131st, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
Smith is very explosive. He can get to the rim at will and finish in heavy traffic. However, the Knicks guard can’t rely on his athleticism every time he needs to score. That’s why New York’s brain trust was happy Smith worked on his outside game this offseason.
In 21 games with the Knicks last season, Smith averaged 14.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists while shooting 41.3 percent overall and 28.9 percent from the 3-point line. Those are shooting splits Smith and the Knicks are hoping will improve this season.
New York missed out on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving this summer, which means Smith, Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson and Allonzo Trier will have to grow internally for the Knicks to win more games this season.
General manager Scott Perry used the Knicks' cap space on Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, Marcus Morris, Wayne Ellington, Reggie Bullock and Elfrid Payton — veterans who will help the youngsters in New York learn what it takes to win in the NBA.
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