Dennis Smith Jr. joining the Portland Trail Blazers camp is important
By Andy Quach
The Portland Trail Blazers desperately need another point guard
Even after his numerous injuries that sapped away some of his top-tier athleticism, Dennis Smith Jr. still offers a lot of skills that the Blazers are severely lacking.
He’d walk into Portland’s locker room with the second-highest assist average on the team. DSJ comes by a lot of those assists using his quickness and strength to bully his way to the rim. While his finishing at the cup has left a lot to be desired, he’s enough of a threat to collapse the defense and open up opportunities for others.
He has a quick first step to beat the defense, the handle to find the emerging holes in the paint, and the touch to find shooters and cutters that come open.
This iteration of the Dallas Mavericks with DSJ, Luka Doncic, and DeAndre Jordan all sharing the court at the same time seems like it’s from an alternate universe, but really this game took place just two seasons ago. Smith Jr. has compiled a career’s worth of injuries since that play, but the skills and most of the physicality is still there.
If he can even get back to his sophomore year form, he’ll be a valuable addition to Portland’s bench.