Dennis Smith Jr. is on a mission this season. In a lot of ways, he mirrors the New York Knicks.
Smith Jr. is trying to rebuild his shattered confidence. He’s hoping to regain the old form that made him a lottery pick and a member of the All-Rookie Second Team in 2018.
The Knicks have been trying to rebuild for years. They’ve brought back Tom Thibodeau, a coach who’s been part of their glorious past, hoping to recapture it once more.
“You see that with a lot of players — a young player who usually finds some bumps on the road and he had those and find a way to rise above them and become successful,” Thibodeau said of Smith Jr.