Smith seems to have the yips, crowd turns on him as Knicks fall to Celtics UGLY NIGHT AT GARDEN
Something is wrong with Dennis Smith Jr. It was fairly evident in the first two games of the season, and then painfully obvious in Saturday night’s 118-95 loss to the Celtics. The point guard and former ninth overall pick has the symptoms of the dreaded yips.
Boston recognized the issue and left Smith Jr. wide open Saturday. He either passed up the shot or missed, going 0-for-3 on without coming close. His night ended on the end of the bench, a towel draped over his shoulder and a somber look on his face.
Smith Jr. only logged 11 minutes Saturday, but his fi- nal 3 1/2 minutes between the third and fourth quar- ters were pivotal to the end result. The Knicks were up 4 when Smith Jr. was subbed in. They trailed by 8 when he left and never recovered.
Toward the end of Smith Jr.’s time on the floor, a frustrated crowd booed his misses and chanted for Frank Ntilikina, the other point guard who is buried at the end of the rotation. On the season, Smith Jr. is 1-for-11 with three points in three games. His jumper was never a strong point, and he spent the summer working on a new form with assistant coach Keith Smart. Now Smith Jr. can’t come close.
David Fizdale said he’ll allow Smith Jr. play out of the funk. To a point.
“That’s the battle. That’s the battle. You’re trying to stay competitive in the game and at the same time you’re trying to give him enough time to fight his way into rhythm,” the coach said. “But you know, ultimately I always pick trying to win over that right now. He’ll get there.”
The loss, by far their worst of the season, dropped the Knicks to 0-3. Kemba Walker, the Bronx native, dropped 32 points on his hometown team on 11-of-17 shooting. The