Lessons from Dennis Smith Jr's return to the court

Lessons from Dennis Smith Jr's return to the court

Dennis Smith Jr. looked good in his return to the court against Detroit.

Dennis Smith Jr. looked good in his return to the court against Detroit.

Rookie sensation Dennis Smith Jr. returned to the court on Wednesday as the Mavericks hosted the Detroit Pistons, breaking the eastern opponent’s three-game win streak. Smith was a solid contributor in the win, shooting 50% from the field, launching three bombs from beyond the arc, and chipping in five rebounds and five assists.

Most importantly, the rookie was aggressive in the open court, finishing a couple breaks, drawing fouls at the basket, and showing a beautiful handle not only on the break, but at the end of the first half, when this play sent J. Cole out of his courtside seat:

J. Cole was HYPED for his Fayetteville brother, Dennis Smith Jr. ?? pic.twitter.com/HsCOWvmGB5

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 21, 2017

He’s clearly learning from Devin Harris, long one of the most aware two-for-one guards in the league, as Smith drilled a pull-up to create such an opportunity at the end of the first half before the above play where he showed off his brilliant handle for an and-one jumper.

He was active on the boards throughout the game. When I was coaching, one of the most constant refrains we had against teams with a guy like Andre Drummond was “gang rebound, guards must be involved.” I’m sure the Mavericks staff sang the same song, and DSJ listened. He looked smooth and ready to pull the trigger on jumpers, and made an absolutely beautiful cross-court pass to Harrison Barnes near the end of the first half—clearly DSJ’s best stretch of play, if you haven’t caught on yet—for an open corner three.

On a more humorous note, Smith also starred in “Mav Panther,” picking up a tradition long held by Dirk as a Mavericks star willing to parody an upcoming film with hilarious facial expressions on a superhero body. One more box checked by the brightest future the Mavericks have had on the roster in quite some time.

Rookie sensation Dennis Smith Jr. returned to the court on Wednesday as the Mavericks hosted the Detroit Pistons, breaking the eastern opponent’s three-game win streak. Smith was a solid contributor in the win, shooting 50% from the field, launching three bombs from beyond the arc, and chipping in five rebounds and five assists.

Most importantly, the rookie was aggressive in the open court, finishing a couple breaks, drawing fouls at the basket, and showing a beautiful handle not only on the break, but at the end of the first half, when this play sent J. Cole out of his courtside seat:

J. Cole was HYPED for his Fayetteville brother, Dennis Smith Jr. ?? pic.twitter.com/HsCOWvmGB5

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 21, 2017

He’s clearly learning from Devin Harris, long one of the most aware two-for-one guards in the league, as Smith drilled a pull-up to create such an opportunity at the end of the first half before the above play where he showed off his brilliant handle for an and-one jumper.

He was active on the boards throughout the game. When I was coaching, one of the most constant refrains we had against teams with a guy like Andre Drummond was “gang rebound, guards must be involved.” I’m sure the Mavericks staff sang the same song, and DSJ listened. He looked smooth and ready to pull the trigger on jumpers, and made an absolutely beautiful cross-court pass to Harrison Barnes near the end of the first half—clearly DSJ’s best stretch of play, if you haven’t caught on yet—for an open corner three.

On a more humorous note, Smith also starred in “Mav Panther,” picking up a tradition long held by Dirk as a Mavericks star willing to parody an upcoming film with hilarious facial expressions on a superhero body. One more box checked by the brightest future the Mavericks have had on the roster in quite some time.

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