Dennis Smith Jr. is the only player-holdover from the January Kristaps Porzingis trade. No longer do the New York Knicks have Wesley Matthews, who was waived two games after this transaction happened, or DeAndre Jordan, who left for the Brooklyn Nets in free agency. That puts an organizational pressure on the third-year guard to succeed, and so far, that has been anything but the case.
Post-trade, the first three games now seem like a dream for Smith Jr., when he averaged 21.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game on 46.9 percent shooting, reinvigorating New York’s point guard position.