Ball Around

Former NBA Lottery Pick Lands in G League Ahead of Winter Showcase

Courtney Tate

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The 2024 NBA G-League Winter Showcase is underway, bringing together all 31 teams in Orlando to compete in front of NBA general managers and player personnel executives. Over 200 players are given a platform to showcase their talents in hopes of landing NBA contracts.

Of those 200 players, one of them happens to be former NBA Lottery Pick Dennis Smith Jr. Smith entered his name into the player portal and was picked up by the Wisconsin Herd. Smith has remained unsigned at the start of the 2024-2025 season and will look to land another contract following his performance in this tournament.

The six-foot-two point guard from Fayetteville, North Carolina was selected as the ninth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. Since then, he’s played for a number of teams in the NBA including the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Portland Trailblazers, Charlotte Hornets, and the Brooklyn Nets. In his most recent season in the NBA, he averaged 6.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists with the Brooklyn Nets.

Over the course of his career, Smith Jr. achieved a number of notable milestones during his NBA career. He has a career-high of 31 points recorded against the Detroit Pistons in 2019, along with a career-high 15 assists against the New York Knicks in the record book. He’s recorded three triple-doubles, highlighting his versatility on the floor, and he made the All-Rookie Second Team in 2018.

He’s been most known for his scoring and playmaking ability, being able to beat his opponents off the dribble and shoot from behind the arc.

Now, as he prepares for his first game with the Wisconsin Herd, Smith Jr. is using this opportunity to stay fresh and catch the attention of many NBA scouts. G-League contracts differ from regular NBA contracts in the sense that players in the G-League are signed to the league and not specific teams.

That said, Smith Jr. having over four years of professional experience, will need to take the route of fully signing with a team when a roster spot is completely open. There’s no opportunity to be called up by the Bucks at whim.

This showcase typically features lots of former NBA players looking to re-sign NBA contracts with a new team. Some notable players include Gary Payton II, Pascal Siakam, and Fred VanVleet. Should Smith Jr. perform well enough in the showcase, there’s a good chance an NBA team could give him a call soon.

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Courtney Tate
COURTNEY TATE

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