DENNIS MISSED HIS MARC
Morris advocated for Smith before trade: source
Dennis Smith Jr. lost an influential advocate when Marcus Morris was traded. In the midst of a difficult and disappointing season, Smith Jr. found himself completely out of the rotation and accumulating DNPs. According to multiple sources, Morris approached the front office and lobbied for Smith Jr. to get more playing time. It resulted in more opportunities for Smith Jr., who during a stretch of six games between January and February, was back in the mix and averaging 18 minutes. That immediately followed consecutive DNPs for Smith Jr., who declined to comment about Morris’ gesture but expressed fondness for a friend.
“We just clicked instantly. Hood love,” Smith Jr. told the Daily News. “We were tight from the jump and to see him go — I don’t know man, he’s like my big brother. We had a cool little bond, man. That was my dawg.”
Morris, who shares an agent with Smith Jr., was traded last week to the Clippers for draft picks, a move that symbolized the Knicks are punting on the rest of this season as they prepare for Leon Rose’s arrival. Smith Jr., 22, was thought to be part of that future but hasn’t inspired confidence since being acquired for Kristaps Porzingis a year ago. After two encouraging seasons to start his NBA career, the 2017 ninth overall pick has fallen dramatically and somewhat mystifyingly this campaign while averaging just 5.2 points on 34 percent shooting. He has dealt with two injuries, fans booing and the sudden death of his stepmother.
Interim coach Mike Miller pulled the plug early on Smith Jr. in the last two games, including Wednesday’s ugly loss to the Wizards (Smith Jr. logged just six minutes with four points and four turnovers). Miller said his point-guard rotation is fluid but Elfrid Payton, who could become a free agent after the season, clearly rose to the top. Minutes for Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina are sporadic, but the front office’s push to get more time for Smith Jr. — via Morris — reiterates these decisions aren’t always made in a coaching vacuum.
“We have confidence in all those guys. And they know that. That’s why we keep putting them out there,” Miller said. “And we’ve used all three of them over the last couple of weeks because of that in different roles. Sometimes they play a little more, sometimes they play a little bit less. It might be a matchup, it might be a just how it functioned. There’s different reasons. But I think they know we have confidence in them, that’s why we’re working the rotations to give guys a chance as opposed to not getting out there and getting some minutes.”
Steve Mills and Scott Perry had a lot invested in Smith Jr. as their main piece retrieved for Porzingis. But that front office is on the way out and it’ll be interesting to see how Smith Jr. will be embraced by the Rose administration and without his veteran advocate Marcus Morris.
Smith Jr. is under contract next season for $5.7 million.