As NBA free agents are being drafted, Dennis Smith Jr., the ACC Rookie of the Year after just one season with North Carolina State basketball in 2016-17, is slowly climbing up the list of the best talent still available.
See also: NC State adds another player to its 2024-25 team
Currently, the latest tracker and rankings from HoopsHype's Frank Urbina and Raul Barrigon have the 26-year-old Smith at No. 10 on that list. Urbina and Barrigon summarised the benefits the former five-star recruit and 2017 draft pick from Fayetteville, North Carolina, will bring to a team at the peak of his athletic career:
“He's never going to show superstar quality as a prospect, but he uses his athleticism very well defensively and can be a real nuisance for opposing point guards.”
Dennis Smith Jr.'s most productive season as a professional was his rookie season with the Dallas Mavericks in 2017-18, when he appeared in 69 games as a full-time starter and averaged 15.2 points.
He played in 326 regular season games across six teams.
Last season, in his first with the Brooklyn Nets, Smith averaged 6.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 18.9 minutes per game off the bench.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound guard's 29.4% 3-point shooting is his best mark since the 2020-21 season, but it may limit interest to a limited number of teams.
