NY Post
The 6-foot-3, 19-year-old point guard ? known by his friends as ?Junior? ? finished his freshman year at N.C. State and became the NBA draft?s most mysteriously intriguing draft prospect ? called its most athletic prospect.
Yet, partly because of N.C. State?s miserable season (4-14 in the ACC), fusses about bad body language, a bad injury (torn ACL before his senior year in high school) and spotty pick-and-roll defense, several mock drafts have him dipping to No. 8, where the Knicks sit.
However, The Post has learned Smith will work out for the Celtics on June 7. Yes, the Celtics, who own the first pick and figure to nab Washington?s Markelle Fultz. Smith already has worked out for Orlando (No. 6), according to sources, and has tentative dates with the Lakers (No. 2) and Knicks.
?He?s going to be one of the great point guards in the league,?? Henderson said. ?Any team that passes him will pay for it later on. If he?s lower than 5, it?s somebody?s loss.??
N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried, fired along with his staff after a dreadful season that carried large expectations, told The Post recently Smith has ?Russell Westbrook athleticism.??
Ironically, Knicks president Phil Jackson said he is ?not interested? in drafting a player who ?can jump out of the gym? or ?do a triple-double game.??
Smith is guilty as charged.
Amid the Wolfpack wreckage came two wondrous individual performances by Smith ? two triple-double gems, one of which his team lost to Syracuse. It marked the first time an ACC player had posted two triple-doubles against league competition in an entire career. Smith did it in one month of his lone season. And yet neither outing approaches Smith?s signature performance on Tobacco Road.
Henderson?s fondest memory of a lost season was the 20-minute bus ride back from Durham, N.C., sitting next to Smith. The bus glided along Hillsborough Street outside the N.C. State campus, mobbed by fans.
?They were cheering, screaming, had their phones out,?? Henderson said.
Smith had willed N.C. State to an 84-82 win over Duke, its first at Cameron Indoor Stadium in 22 years. He whipped darts for passes in the final minutes and became unguardable ? a 32-point, six-assist magic show on 10-of-18 shooting, 4-of-6 on 3-pointers.
?He was the best player on the floor,?? Gottfried said.
"He was nasty ? evidence he can take over a game,?? said one NBA scout in attendance.
?It showed what he could do against one of the top teams in the country on the road,?? Henderson said. ?It was his highlight moment.??
?Dennis told me he loved being the underdog,?? Gottfried said.
The torn ACL prevented Smith from experiencing a second title on the court. One month before his senior year, Smith tore his ACL in an AAU contest in California in August 2015.
For all the college losses, Smith enjoyed only triumphs at Trinity Christian. He owns two state-title rings, though one of the jewels was earned as a de facto assistant coach and early-enrollment college student as he rehabbed his knee.
As a freshman, Smith?s team advanced to the state finals. As a sophomore, Smith made sure the team returned to Fayetteville with the state trophy, sinking two free throws with 1.5 seconds left to win the championship.
Well before that, N.C. State?s Early had confirmed Smith?s pedigree at an AAU Christmas tournament in Las Vegas.
The sophomore put up 36 points against a more talented club from Canada that featured Thon Maker, who now plays for the NBA?s Bucks.
?Maker?s team was way better, but you could see it in Dennis? eyes in warmups,?? Early said. ?His tenacity, toughness, the drive he had to win the game, understanding every shot was going in.??
The ACC Freshman of the Year has to dispel some myths to NBA executives. Smith?s agitated on-court state wasn?t a good look amid the losing. Early knows it, admitting the visage of a scowling Stephon Marbury is a fair comparison.
?When you?re a point guard, there?s leadership things you need to grow into,?? Early said. ?Dennis doesn?t hide his emotions. When we?re struggling, he can?t hide it. It?s something he has to work on.??
?I?d rather see a kid mad at losing compared to seeing a kid who goes with the flow and doesn?t care,?? Henderson said. ?It was his competitive nature.??
The good news is that same eighth-grader throwing balls off the glass in a high-school game hasn?t lost explosiveness since ACL surgery.
?His quickness and athleticism is NBA ready right now,?? Early said. ?His ball-handling and court vision is NBA ready. Had we had a good year, he?d be in the conversation for the No. 1 pick.??