Dennis Smith Jr. emerges as Brooklyn’s camp darling 2023

Brooklyn Nets fans, understandably, take training camp optimism with a grain of salt. They've been through it before, whether it was reassurance that a young Richard Jefferson was becoming a deadly 3-point shooter or that the Clean Sweep Nets were entering a season with limited off-court distractions. Hell, all the noise coming out of HSS Training about the rejuvenation of Ben Simmons sounds awfully similar to last season’s training camp.

And yet, the praise being thrown Dennis Smith Jr.’s way cannot be overlooked. The former NC State standout is an obvious fit on the court, starting with his rigid perimeter defense. Smith Jr. is playing on his sixth team in seven NBA seasons, but only…