After appearing in just three games this season, guard Dennis Smith Jr. reportedly asked the New York Knicks if he could play with the team’s G League affiliate in the upcoming 2021 season, according to Peter Botte of the New York Post.
Smith dealt with a quad injury that kept him out of the lineup for five games, but the fourth-year player has not played in each of the past six games and has totaled just 10 minutes of playing since Jan. 10. With rookie Immanuel Quickley emerging off the bench, and with Austin Rivers and Alec Burks healthy again, Smith has simply fallen out of the rotation.
The Knicks plan to honor Smith’s request to play in the G League. On Sunday, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau commended Smith for requesting to play in the bubble and believes it will be a great opportunity for him to log some meaningful minutes. The request, as Thibodeau said, highlights Smith’s positive attitude this season.
The G League last week released the full 135-game and TV schedule for the 2021 season set to tip off on Feb. 10 at the Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Florida.
18 teams, including the Westchester Knicks, will each play 15 games through March 6.
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