PHOTO | TROY HULL

Charlotte Hornets guard Dennis Smith Jr., who had been cut from four NBA teams in five years, is showing a career resurgence. Smtih is averaging 11.8 points and 6.2 assists per game in Charlotte, which is playing without injured guards LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier.

Dennis Smith Jr. is remaking his basketball career with the Hornets.

The guard, who signed shortly before the start of training camp, has been better than steady over the first two weeks of the season, first as a reserve, then as a starter when injuries sidelined LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier.

Smith, 24, was at a crossroads before he signed a one-year deal with the Hornets in September. He’d been cut from four teams over five years and even contemplated switching to football. The Hornets were looking for backcourt depth and figured the former lottery pick would help. Smith, who was born in Fayetteville, has thrived in Charlotte, where he’s averaging 11.8 points and 6.2 assists per game as of Monday. After a career of more downs than ups, the adversity has matured him.

“I had to work my butt off this summer,” Smith said after Saturday’s 120-113 overtime win against Golden State. “A lot of people were trying to say, ‘Oh, he shouldn’t be in the league,’ this, that and the third. Just had to tune all of that out and lock in.”

It’s also helped that Smith has refined his skill set to include better defense, which he showed against Golden State. He forced Steph Curry to miss a potential game-winning shot at the end of regulation and contested throughout the game. Curry scored 31 points on 10-of-22 shooting but connected on just 3-of-13 from three-point range.

“Just trying to stay into him and try to compete, try to be a dog, not giving him a shot,” said Smith, who scored 13 points, pulled down nine rebounds and dished eight assists against the Warriors. “He’s the best shooter of all time, so I tried to stay as close as possible, and it worked out for us. Thankfully he missed. He could’ve made that, too. … I think everybody in the locker room would want me guarding him on the last possession. They’ve got confidence in me to go out and get a stop, so I got to believe in myself as well.”

That mentality and faith has served Smith well in Charlotte, where the Hornets are 3-3 with Ball yet to play a game. Smith has done his part on both ends of the floor, which is what coach Steve Clifford is looking for.

“He had two big drives, one in the fourth quarter and one in overtime to (cut the Warriors’ lead to) five,” Clifford said. “He’s a terrific defender but he’s also a great competitor. He’s already, through only six games, made a big contribution to our team.”

Smith credits Clifford with helping him manage expectations and accountability to the team-first philosophy. Players are free to tap into their strengths if it meshes with Clifford’s emphasis on situational basketball.

“It’s rare when you’ve got a coach that really, he’s a player’s coach, and on top of that he really knows the game and can have you execute with X’s and O’s,” Smith said. “I think he does a great job of being able to do both, and like I said, as long as we follow the game plan, we’ll be able to win games.”

It’s working so far for Charlotte even without Ball, their All-Star. Role players are contributing significant minutes and results, and the win against Golden State shows what’s possible when everyone buys in.

“Our defense, this was our best defensive effort, I thought,” Clifford said. “Mason [Plumlee] in terms of what he did with his team defense, how much he clogged up the lane, I thought Gordon [Hayward’s] defense was terrific, and we had some other guys that were good. But obviously Dennis Smith’s defense tonight was just, for this league, about as good as it gets.”

Clifford deserves credit for bringing those improvements out of the Hornets.

“He communicates very well on what he wants from us, and if we don’t do that, then he holds us accountable,” guard Kelly Oubre Jr. said. “That’s everything in this league because we have a young team, but at the end of the day we’re trying to grow, learn and be the best in our profession. Coach is bringing that up out of us each and every day.”

Comments