NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have been trying to rebuild ever since they traded Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving last season. Since then, Brooklyn has seen players like Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas emerge, just to name a few, but they have also seen someone else who has been the heart and soul of the team: Dennis Smith Jr.
“I just do my job, man,” Smith said after Saturday’s 123-103 win over the San Antonio Spurs in which he put up 14 points, six rebounds, and two assists in the blowout victory. While Smith has been more known for his defense than his offense in recent seasons, Saturday unveiled how effective Smith can be on both ends of the floor when he gets going.
“If they (the Nets) need me to go out and score the ball, if I’m getting shots, I’m going to shoot them,” Smith said. “If they need me to go out there and guard the best player, that’s what I’m going to do. So, it’s just about whatever the team needs.”
As Smith said, he has been doing whatever the team needs and that has made him one of the players who seems to always provide a spark for the rest of his teammates to follow suit. More to the point, the addition of Dennis Schroder showed that he and Smith could form a formidable backcourt in which both players can apply pressure on the ball and play with an edge that’s infectious.
According to NBA.com, Smith racked up three deflections, recovered a loose ball, and contested three shots in just under 24 minutes of action against the Spurs. That is the type of effort that he brings on a nightly basis and it is something that the Nets have grown to rely on as the season progresses.
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