Tag: Dennis Smith Jr.

Nets’ Dennis Smith Jr. discusses how he’s ‘just doing my job’

Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Smith Jr. discusses after Saturday’s win over the San Antonio Spurs how he’s ‘just doing his job’ for the Nets.

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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Nets’ Ben Simmons ruled out for Monday’s game against Warriors

The Brooklyn Nets announced on Sunday that Ben Simmons is out for Monday’s game against the Golden State Warriors due to injury maintenance.

The Brooklyn Nets are looking to build on an impressive road victory over the Philadelphia 76ers as they try to climb back in the Eastern Conference playoff race. As Brooklyn attempts to extend their winning streak in their matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Monday, they will be doing so while shorthanded again.

The Nets announced on Sunday that Ben Simmons would miss Monday’s contest against the Warriors due to injury maintenance on his lower left back. While this cautious approach with Simmons makes sense given that he missed 38 straight games from Nov. 8 to Jan. 27 with the nerve impingement in his back, it still leaves some doubt as to whether Simmons is fully healthy at this point.

Brooklyn head coach Jacque Vaughn said prior to Saturday’s 136-121 win at the 76ers that Simmons has fully recovered from the nerve impingement in his lower left back that caused him to miss so much time, but that he would also be available for games moving forward.

It seems that regardless of that statement, the Nets appear to still be cautious with Simmons and that makes sense because of how important he is to the team, even in limited minutes. In some good news for Brooklyn, guard Dennis Smith Jr. is probable for Monday after missing Saturday’s win due to right foot soreness.

In addition to Simmons, forward Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle sprain) and center Day’Ron Sharpe (left knee hyperextension) are out for Monday’s contest. Finney-Smith started running on his ankle at Friday’s practice so he could be returning soon while Sharpe is still slowly working his way back to doing workouts around other people.

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Nets’ Jacque Vaughn says Ben Simmons is available moving forward

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said prior to Saturday’s game at the Philadelphia 76ers that Ben Simmons is available moving forward.

PHILADELPHIA — The Brooklyn Nets have been arguably one of the most talked about teams in the NBA with the trade deadline on Feb. 8. Brooklyn is trying to hang on to their hopes of being in the Eastern Conference playoff picture come April and they should have one of the best players on the court moving forward.

“Yeah, he would have played the other day (Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns) except for the acute injury that happened in the game (Monday against the Utah Jazz),” Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said of Ben Simmons prior to Saturday’s road matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. Simmons was listed as probable prior to Saturday when he was upgraded to available.

“So, he (Simmons) was fully back from the time away (with the nerve impingement in his lower left back) so all inclination going forward as he’s available for games,” Vaughn said. That has to be good news for everyone in the Nets organization and fanbase given how much time Simmons has missed over his past few seasons with the team due to a variety of injuries.

Addressing the rest of Brooklyn’s injuries, Vaughn said that center Day’Ron Sharpe, out due to a left knee hyperextension, has been doing more court work and has progressed to contact with coaches. Vaughn said that Dorian Finney-Smith, out with a left ankle sprain, is still “day-to-day” and that the team will see if he can go next week.

Dennis Smith Jr., questionable for Saturday due to right foot soreness, will go through his pregame routine to see if he can play. The 76ers will be missing three rotation players, including superstar center Joel Embiid, and could be missing two more rotation pieces with Tobias Harris and Nic Batum listed as questionable.

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Nets’ Ben Simmons (left knee contusion) probable Saturday at 76ers

The Brooklyn Nets announced on Friday that Ben Simmons is probable for Saturday’s game at the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Brooklyn Nets are looking to turn their season around as soon as possible so that they still have a chance of getting back into the Eastern Conference playoff race. As they try to start a new winning streak on Saturday at the Philadelphia 76ers, the Nets are likely to be doing so with their best table-setter for their offense.

The Nets released their initial injury report on Friday and on it, Ben Simmons is listed as probable due to a left knee contusion. This is notable because Simmons missed Wednesday’s 136-120 loss to the Phoenix Suns due to swelling in his knee, per head coach Jacque Vaughn.

When Vaughn addressed the media prior to Wednesday’s loss, he said that Simmons had no structural damage in his knee and seemed confident that he wouldn’t miss much time. A new addition to the report is guard Dennis Smith Jr. who is listed as questionable due to right foot soreness.

Smith has played in 32 of 47 games this season due to a variety of injuries, but he has generally been available for the team this season. Forward Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle sprain) and center Day’Ron Sharpe (left knee hyperextension) are ruled out.

Finney-Smith has missed the last two games with his ankle issue, but he started running at practice on Friday so he could be close to returning. Sharpe has missed the past 10 games with his knee ailment and so far, he has only been able to do individual work.

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Nets’ Dennis Smith Jr. says team ‘strayed away’ from offensive success

After Sunday’s loss at the Clippers, Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Smith Jr. said the team went away from what was working on offense.

The Brooklyn Nets have not yet found a way to turn their season around and the clock is ticking on how much time they have to get back to winning basketball. After what happened on Sunday, it seems that the Nets are back to the drawing board with regards to getting back to their winning ways.

In Sunday’s 125-114 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn had one of the worst, if not the worst, closes to a game in recent memory as they allowed the Clippers to close the game on a 22-0 run. Over the course of this season, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn has varied between letting his guys play through their struggles and using quick timeouts to give his players a mental reset.

Vaughn chose to go with the former and while it was not the right decision to not use the timeout, the fourth-quarter collapse was about more than whether a timeout was called. Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue closed the game with a lineup of James Harden, Norman Powell, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Russell Westbrook and it was easy to see why.

Once that lineup was on the floor, they completely shut down Brooklyn’s offense by switching everything on defense, as Nets guard Mikal Bridges pointed out, and Brooklyn did not have an answer. Nets backup guard Dennis Smith Jr., who put up 13 points and three rebounds in the loss, tried to verbalize what happened down the stretch:

“I think it’s about how we was getting the shots. We kind of strayed away from that and we started trying to hunt matchups, going one-on-one instead of just letting the letting the game flow, letting it come to you. We went away from that and that’s when it got tough.”

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Nets’ Dennis Smith Jr. on beating OKC: ‘everybody can just breathe now’

Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Smith Jr. almost had a triple-double in Friday’s win over the Thunder. He says that the win allows some breaths.

NEW YORK — Dennis Smith Jr. has been one of the more important players for the Brooklyn Nets this season due to the intangibles that he brings to a team. He was instrumental to Brooklyn their five-game losing streak against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.

“Everybody can just breathe now,” Smith said after putting up 13 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists in Friday’s 124-115 over the Thunder. Prior to Friday’s win, Brooklyn had lost their last five games, including a 124-108 loss at Oklahoma City on Sunday, but it looks like the Nets got their revenge.

“We got a monkey off our back after having a pretty solid start to the season,” Smith said. “We had a little (losing) streak last week where we slid for a little minute so it feels good to get a win.”

In almost astounding fashion, the Nets won the first quarter 39-21 thanks to some incredible play on both ends of the floor that hasn’t been seen in quite some time. However, Brooklyn lost the second half 68-49 as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (34 points) started to get some help from his teammates to make the game interesting.

It was the kind of win that Brooklyn has been looking for recently and to get it against the Thunder is a quality one. Smith more than did his part to make sure of that.

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Nets’ Dennis Smith Jr. probable Friday vs. Nuggets

Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Smith Jr. is listed as probable for Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets, per the team on Thursday.

The Brooklyn Nets are in the midst of arguably their toughest stretch of the season thus far as they have lost five of their last six games. However, the good news is that reinforcements will be on the way soon to help a team that’s looking a bit tired right now.

On Thursday, the Nets announced that Dennis Smith Jr., who has missed the past seven games due to an upper back sprain, is probable for Friday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets. This news represents an upgrade for Smith as when Brooklyn gave its medical update on Smith before Wednesday’s loss to the New York Knicks, he was considered to be questionable for Friday.

Ever since Smith has been inactive, it’s been clear that the Nets have missed his defensive ability and toughness at the backup point guard spot. Smith, 26, is averaging 6.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 42.5% from the field and 31.8% from three-point land.

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Nets’ Ben Simmons improving; Dennis Smith Jr. and Lonnie Walker IV to return soon

The Brooklyn Nets gave their bi-weekly medical update on Ben Simmons, Dennis Smith Jr. and Lonnie Walker IV. Mostly was good news.

The Brooklyn Nets have been without Ben Simmons, Dennis Smith Jr. and Lonnie Walker IV for some time now, but it seems that the Nets will be getting some reinforcements soon after a rough west-coast road trip.

On Wednesday, hours before Brooklyn faces the New York Knicks in the Battle of the Boroughs, the Nets gave a medical update on all three players. For Simmons (left lower back impingement), who last played on Nov. 6, is displaying consistent strength improvement in his back over the past two weeks and has increased his individual court work, per the team. The next update on Simmons will be in approximately two weeks.

Smith (upper back sprain) has been cleared for full basketball activities and will continue to increase his on-court work, according to the Nets’ press release. While Smith has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the Knicks, he is questionable for Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets so he could be back on the court as soon as Friday.

Walker, who has missed time due to a left hamstring strain, is steadily increasing his individual on-court activity, per the Nets. The team expects Walker to progress to playing 5-on-5 over the next several days with the idea of him returning to the lineup next week.

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Nets’ Jacque Vaughn says Lonnie Walker IV will not play on west coast road trip

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said on Friday that Lonnie Walker IV will not play in the upcoming five-game road trip.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have a very winnable game on Friday as they face the Washington Wizards at Barclays Center before embarking on a five-game west coast road trip against some tough competition. They will unfortunately be taking on that tough task without arguably their best player off the bench.

“He will not play on the west coast road trip,” Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said prior to Friday’s game of potential sixth man of the year candidate Lonnie Walker IV. Walker is currently out of the lineup while he deals with a left hamstring strain that he picked up in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 30. Walker has missed the past two games with the injury.

As of right now, it seems that the decision left to make on Walker is whether he will make the road trip. “Yeah, that’s more travel logistics,” Vaughn explained. “Is it best for him to stay back and get treatment here? We haven’t decided that yet.”

Vaughn also explained why backup guard Dennis Smith Jr. (upper back soreness) was ruled out for Friday’s game against Washington. “Upper back not acting right,” Vaughn said. “He did participate in shootaround, wasn’t a bunch, and then reported some stiffness after that. Listed him as questionable, then he got reassessed, tried to get to a place to play, and just won’t be able to go tonight.”

Smith missed six games during the second half of November due to a lower back sprain, but there’s no indication of whether either injury is connected. Vaughn mentioned that it’s still too soon to say whether Smith will miss any games on the road trip.

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Dennis Smith Jr.: ‘I feel like I’m the best point guard defender in the league’

Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Smith Jr. has been a big addition to the Nets this season and he is more than confident in what he brings.

Dennis Smith Jr. has seen his career change ever since he came into the NBA as the ninth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft out of NC State. Over the last few seasons, Smith has had to reinvent himself into a player who impacts the game with his defensive ability and his energy.

Ever since Smith came to the Brooklyn Nets this past offseason on a veteran’s minimum, he has been that and so much more for the Nets. With a Brooklyn team that has been surprisingly bad on the defensive end of the floor. Smith is one of the players on the roster that is keeping the defense afloat.

In Wednesday’s 114-113 win at the Atlanta Hawks, Smith was key in limiting the impact of star Hawks point guard Trae Young over the course of the game. While Young still finished the contest with 30 points and nine assists, he was 11-of-24 from the floor, including 3-of-9 from deep.

Aside from Mikal Bridges, Smith is arguably the best perimeter defender on the Nets’ roster, depending on the matchup. After Wednesday’s win, Smith spoke to Tim Capstraw and Chris Carrino of Brooklyn Nets Radio and he had some high praise for what he brings to the Nets:

“I feel like I’m the best point guard defender in the league. That’s what brought me in for. You know, I just try to do my job and win games. And, this was a big win for us today. It’s Mikal’s first win in Atlanta too. So, shout out to my boy Kal.”

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