Dennis Smith Jr. has agreed to a one-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Smith Jr. spent last season with the Charlotte Hornets, where he averaged 8.8 points, 4.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 25.7 minutes per night. He played 54 games and started 15 of them.
Free agent guard Dennis Smith Jr. has agreed to a one-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. The Nets made Smith a priority in free agency as their first call, and he becomes their first addition of the summer.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2023
Smith has emerged as one of the NBA’s premier point-of-attack defenders at the guard position. He’s instinctive, quick and strong, and navigates screens effectively. He’s also become a pretty frugal and impactful playmaker, dishing out 261 assists to 82 turnovers in 2022-23. The Hornets were 5.3 points better per 100 possessions with him on the floor, according to Cleaning The Glass. He still struggles substantially as a scorer (47.5 percent true shooting, 21.6 percent beyond the arc). But his defense, passing and dribble penetration should make him an intriguing third or fourth rotation guard for teams with the offensive infrastructure to insulate his shooting woes.
After being selected ninth overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2017 Draft, Smith floated around the league, featuring stops with the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons and Portland Trail Blazers before landing in Charlotte last season. Hopefully, this new deal provides him some stability and he can continue to find his niche as a defensive-minded, playmaking slasher.