The development of Dennis Smith Jr. looms large to the New York Knicks' future prospects of contention. After his team selected Duke wing R.J. Barrett with the No. 3 overall pick in the NBA draft, though, Smith's importance to the Knicks' long-term out look took a bit of a hit, a process that began last season when he failed to establish himself as a consistently positive performer following a trade from the Dallas Mavericks.

But as the 2019-20 season quickly approaches, the Knicks guard seems unconcerned by his adjusted place in New York's team-building hierarchy. In fact, Smith insists he'll be going out of his way in 2019-20 to help Barrett win Rookie of the Year.

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“I'm treating that as one of my focal points just to help him win Rookie of the Year. And whatever I can do, I'm willing to do it,” he said of Barrett, per a recent interview with Chris Henderson (h/t Ian Begley of SNY). “It's important for us and it's important for our team and it's important for our morale moving forward, so I think it would be major if he won that.”

Barrett, a 6-foot-7 wing, averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game as a freshman en route to First Team All-American honors. A lefty who's best with the ball in his hands, he figures to cut into Smith's usage this season, a development that could actually prove a boon for the high-flying third-year pro.

Smith averaged 14.7 points, 5.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game with the Knicks last season, putting up an ugly true shooting percentage of 47.3 in 21 appearances.