Dennis Smith Jr. Was Set Up To Fail From The Very Beginning...

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In this video we discuss the story of how Dennis Smith Jr. was set up for failure the second he started his career in the NBA, and how unfair his journey has been to this point.
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[@jayherbogaming]

W

[@theeunknown3988]

@@jayherbogaming W

[@RokuDragoon]

Nice you hit all of your picks tonight

[@jermainelindsay403]

I honestly hate the way Americans teach basketball to the youth … none of our kids can really shoot Or know the fundamentals of basketball

[@AdamEllis33]

man thats pretty sad hearing about how he was committed to making it work with luka and even befriending him. i think dsj thought he was with the mavs long term and its rough to hear that was never the case. best of luck to him moving forward.

[@CC-bw7im]

Him and Luka could be pretty dynamic if they kept it going it was the coaches fault he literally ruined his career

[@hittkid6312]

@@CC-bw7im Yeah Luka is actually really good at using cutters just how Josh Green is doing right now. Luka is also good at playing off-ball which is why him and Brunson are working so well right now.

[@dparkertex]

For those who wants to know what he's doing now he's currently on Portland's roster

[@ziahbarie3198]

He's a good backup for us

[@JAWS_2K]

hes been solid too. still has the jitters here and there but im glad to have him

[@EnZo7992]

A good piece for the rebuild 👌

[@Grace20218]

We love Dennis smith jr here

[@vipnetworker]

He just got waived by Portland. I hope Dallas picks him back up. Or someone. I want the best for him. Seems like a good dude.

[@theeunknown3988]

Hopefully he revives his career

[@theone5207]

I actually made a hot take that Dennis smith Jr would be an all star one day, but then I watched the mavs play with luka and Dennis at the same time, but they just didn’t click like we thought they would.

[@lordoffaiyum9727]

Luka 2 ball dominant. Smith not good off ball

[@sgalexander8704]

@@lordoffaiyum9727 2 ball dominant players, Mavs got to choose 1 between the two of them and truthfully Luka is the better player so they chose him.

[@hittkid6312]

I used to have the opinion that they would not work but watching Luka play with Brunson made me think that if DSJ was willing to play as the 2nd ball handler and became more of a off-ball cutter then things might have been able to work since Luka shows he can also play off-ball. Ofcourse DSJ's decision making and defensive effort needed to improve but that is something that could have been learned.

[@raymondthomas1574]

@@hittkid6312 He did Marc cuban wanted luka to have the ball in his hands

[@ebonylady]

​@@raymondthomas1574 That's right and anyone in that position would make the same move.

[@assmunch8633]

I’ve seen dsj in Detroit as a fan, he’s a solid player. It’s not always “skill” that goes into a players success. Luck sometimes matters. But that also goes with a lot of things in life

[@shotbymcfly]

There is no luck involved, it’s about favor. He went somewhere he wasn’t wanted, that’s not bad luck it’s careless people wasting people’s precious time

[@phoenixc6812]

I feel like it’s a mix between skill, hard work, and some luck

[@pierregrayjr9396]

He’s too small to be a 2 but isn’t skilled enough to be a 1 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@ravens4207]

but he does lack skill tho

[@OK-yy6qz]

@@shotbymcfly it was luck. Mavs wanted him at first then a drastically better player showed up at the same position so they took him and he outplayed Dennis. He was unlucky enough to end up on the same roster as Luka.

[@mattweinhardt5511]

Knicks screwed him over by getting three other guards when they got him

[@ravens4207]

okay but dsj was also really bad and doesn’t fit in the modern nba at all

[@TheNyknicks718]

DSJ had every chance to be the starting PG in NY he just wasn’t good. He had a death in the family and some other things that derailed him but the Knicks didn’t screw him he just didn’t perform

[@liferealgood]

Bad take. He had plenty opportunities to take over the PG spot. It’s not like they had crazy talent at G.

[@wildernesswolff9350]

He could still make a comeback. He's only 24 years old right now

[@KDuff-2015]

One thing Derrick Rose said that helped him was his rookie year he got to play through his mistakes meaning they gave him court time to develop & learn. As SOON as Luka got to Dallas they gave up on DSJ

[@robertoh.20]

So dsj didn't play his rookie season.....

[@KDuff-2015]

@@robertoh.20 he did & was OK fr, he played in a league with a younger Steph, Kyrie, CP3, Dame & Russ yo it’s not like he got the chance in year 2 with Luka

[@Clutchcmac19]

Luka hated Rick for treating people and DSJ like trash

[@mr.kwamid-86_43]

Hmmm... Rick da dick, you say. 🤔

[@kmacadaeg7]

I feel bad for Smith. I hope he ends up making it somehow.

[@Quis.Stay.Stunnin]

DSJ was so different in dallas

[@jayherbogaming]

Fax

[@CodeineAbdulJabbar]

He was bouncy but he was always highly inefficient

[@raymondthomas1574]

@@CodeineAbdulJabbar so what he was a rookie it happens

[@RatedPR]

I feel like coaches don't get tossed out of the NBA enough, too many seem to have egos that cost their players' careers

[@the77don]

Absolutely phenomenal take. As a mavs fan, you answered a lot of questions I was thinking about when it came to DSJ.

[@charleskorpics4240]

I feel the same way about Kris Dunn. Kris Dunn is the best defensive free agent out there, and the pacers/Lakers could use him bigly.

[@Goofbirdent]

He’s coming off ankle surgery I believe

[@dcals6288]

He can’t shoot, lakers not picking him up

[@idipped2521]

Kris Dunn is basically a Tony Allen type player. I don't know why he doesn't have a spot in the league

[@travismcnamara8919]

Excellent video. Love your player profiles as they are always information and insightful. Hope to see more going forward!

[@infinitymixtapes9562]

This just makes me wonder how many players got fucked over like this but never got the platform to tell their side and were just labelled as busts

[@ravens4207]

he could change that label by playing at least somewhat well

[@typicaluploader2168]

good luck to my man dennis smith jr prove everyone wrong

[@gregsizemo8143]

DSJ has had plenty of opportunity in the league. While in Dallas it was not only clear that Luka was a Superstar and better than him but also Jalen Brunson was light years ahead of DSJ too. His explosive athletic ability was negated by his basketball I.Q. being really low and his average body. I liked him and think he could be a serviceable 3rd guard.

[@ballsack3280]

Long time Mavs fan. The way RC mishandled DSJ is what soured me on him in the first place. DSJ had more skill than people think, better passer than you would think and a willing defender, his shot mechanics weren't broken either, could have been a good shooter with some work. We have Jason Kidd as coach now and I don't even miss Rick. 20-18 start just like last season but Luka missed more time this early this year and our defense has been much improved. There was a false narrative that DSJ didn't want to share the ball with Luka when the real problem was Rick was designating DSJ's playmaking duties to terrible playmakers like Wes Matthews, Harrison Barnes, and DeAndre Jordan just because he didn't like DSJ. Luka wasn't happy about it either because DSJ was his best friend on the team

[@hittkid6312]

Luka-Brunson combo has been really good lately which proves Luka is actually willing to share ball handling job. Granted Brunson is a much better shooter and decision maker than DSJ but I think it's something that DSJ could have learned down the line.

[@ZARELLLAAAA]

Dudes confidence was destroyed

[@NabilAbdulrashidComedy]

Dude is insanely talented, exciting and fun to watch such a shame to see this happen. Reminds me of Steve Francis

[@noelnordvall1007]

My POV as a Knicks fan is that he wasn’t very good at basketball. He lost some speed after all the injuries which is a big part obviously but he wasn’t smart and the shooting is underwhelming.

[@ravens4207]

people make so many excuses for the obvious

[@liferealgood]

Thank you!! People actually said NY ruined him. Like nah the just traded him

[@dominickeura7746]

I enjoyed this video and I support you making more player profiles

[@clearlyabot]

100% agree about starting location. also losing someone close enough to need time off is impossible to measure in pain.

[@polarbear4417]

I love these videos!

[@aharonmoyal4905]

glad u doing a video on dsj. been one of my favorite players since drafted

[@HoodFavNick]

I liked him a lot his rookie year and was excited on his progression I hope he has a big bounce back

[@Shortballa11]

Loved watching DSJ early on bt there are things coaches pick up on faster than fans. DSJ wasn’t a good fit or polished. His usage would’ve hindered Lucas development

[@anthonyhodgson2934]

With that being said. Get Bol out or denver. Someone pay his ransom cause he's obviously being held hostage.

[@paulfrantizek102]

Carlise is one of those coaches you hope to avoid if you're a young player. Definitely prefers vets.

[@infinitymixtapes9562]

Byron Scott is another. If it was up to him, D'lo would've been out of the league by now

[@briangibbon3381]

In my opinion it seemed like smith got alot of playing time till it was clear it wasn't working i have a hard time blaming carlise when he played alot of unproductive minuets 😒

[@ravens4207]

@@briangibbon3381 exactly i think i’ll defer to the borderline hall of fame coach and not the undersized pg who can’t shoot or defend

[@yungdrew9947]

It's crazy to think how high people were on him in the Dallas area, but as soon as Luka got in town people forgot about him quick.

[@youngjut3]

I feel like he had the perfect chance in NY to take his game to another level... I feel like somewhere along the line he lost his confidence and that's just as meaningful as talent.. in the NBA

[@ravens4207]

no it’s not man playmaking and perimeter defense would’ve kept him on the roster simple as that

[@Shortballa11]

Its unfortunate his close relative passed away Bt athletic players actually get a lot more room for flaws than skilled players do. The fact DSJ is still in the league is a testament to how many opportunities he has gotten

[@ewa1275]

As a mavs fan it wasnt his fault, it was all on carlisle bc he wanted to draft donovan mitchell but mavs chose dsj. It was obv that mitchell was better throughout the season, while carlisle knows he was right, he still didn't put faith in Dsj's talents. DSJ NEEDED SUPPORT ESPECIALLY FROM HIS COACH. WHEN LUKA CAME IN CARLISLE INTENTIONALLY DIDNT GIVE DSJ PLAYS, BUT FOR LUKA. LUKA WAS NOT HAPPY BC HE WANTED DSJ TO SHINE AS WELL. CARLISLE THEN MOVE ON FROM DSJ BC THAT WAS HIS PLAN ALL ALONG.

[@Mistachill]

DSJ is the classic overhyped, high school mix tape video, anointed to be great way too early player who thought stardom was just a matter of time. His biggest problem is he was treated like the next big thing and I think it got in his head and he didn't work enough on his flaws and weaknesses. Not to mention if you focused on him during the game, he didn't give max effort unless it led to a dunk or a spectacular play. That's why people who only watch is highlight videos can't understand why he's not a star. Watch him full game and it will be obvious why he'll never be more than a serviceable player on bad teams.

[@derrickwhite6795]

Damn Carlisle old ass done messed up DSJ career everyone knows small guards take a lil while to get better and I think he would’ve been a great fit beside Luka. Adding more athleticism to a team that needs more athleticism and by now their chemistry would’ve been amazing. They could’ve gotten another good center in the next draft and then built their team up through luka DSJ and whatever big they picked up for the draft. Jalen Brunson is good but I don’t think his ceiling was as high as DSJ and cmon who wouldn’t love a DSJ and Luka fast break!

[@ravens4207]

you can do all this shoulda woulda stuff but the fact is he couldn’t beat out brunson or ferrell guys who aren’t all that good to begin with either, dsj just lacks nba size and skill it’s that simple

[@derrickwhite6795]

@@ravens4207 did you listen to the video?? He didn’t even get a full season to prove that bruh. And he’s been hurt.

[@ravens4207]

@@derrickwhite6795 don’t need a whole season to see he doesn’t have the size and skills

[@okaykairelax]

@@ravens4207 I've seen you on numorous other replies. Just straight up hating. Just stop it man. Nobody knows who you are bro. You're a lot less important thant you thnk.

[@ravens4207]

@@okaykairelax so is dsj

[@optimusprime028]

HEAT CULTURE CAN REVIVE THIS MAN'S CAREER.

[@ravens4207]

the heat like guys who can actually shoot

[@Matt-su4fq]

I might be one of the bigger DSJ Fans and was awake through the whole night to see DSJ getting drafted from the Mavs. I also might be one of the few guys to claim that RC is overrated as a coach. Look at Indianas roster. They drafted Duarte and still have Brogdon, Levert, Sabonis and Turner. That is not a bad core. RC did cost the Mavs at least one ring in 2010 and the way he treated people was a perfect example of a toxic environment in Dallas overlooked by Cuban. I am glad he is gone. For DSJs career. He has two major issues. His injuries and his incosistent shot. Still he is a very solid playmaker and a good defender one on one. Hopefully he will find his shot in time and maybe at one point in his career he will find his way back to the Mavs.

[@raymondthomas1574]

Cuban is part of the problem too

[@bigchungus2462]

Sounds to me like Rick Carlisle turned out to be right. He may not have handled himself correctly (we truly don't know), but he was right about a lot.

[@ravens4207]

what is up with all the mavs fans hating on rc because of DSJ?!?!?!? that guy was never a legitimate talent and rc’s reputation speaks for itself it was the young player who had to humble himself and learn how to fit and he couldn’t

[@6Hustles]

He had Steve Francis written all over him

[@lordoffaiyum9727]

Francis had more handle and better mid range

[@mr.kwamid-86_43]

Sad :(

[@thetruth619ful]

@@lordoffaiyum9727 he could've developed those things, they should've traded him the moment they drafted luka

[@pratyushsharma1178]

Every franchise should be run like Suns,spurs , warriors ,heat. They put players in position to succeed.

[@ravens4207]

warriors and suns have the best point guards of our generation and the spurs and heat have the best coaches of our generation, the organizations are run well no doubt but there’s more obvious factors you’re overlooking

[@liferealgood]

IDK Demar Derozan actually look better outside of a Spurs uniform. He may even get some MVP consideration.

[@Prince_mt12]

No he was not set up to fail. His ego placed him where he is today same with players like Terry Rozier and Dennis Schroder. They wanted more when clearly they are not worth for more. Some got lucky and tricked some teams to pay way above their worth some learned it the hard way.

[@patrickmanalili7240]

He must try on Gsw raptors and spurs they good in developing young talent

[@melomanace3415]

He was doomed to fail by his own bball IQ and lack of shooting. Cant run an offense, cant play off the ball, cant defend, doesn't have good vision, etc. What did/does he do well?

[@lordoffaiyum9727]

Exactly

[@lucas_dr3]

He’s fast and can jump, thats it pretty much

[@cameronspencer214]

I agree with you 100%. I’m from Dallas and I’m a Mavs fan. I wasn’t a fan of him from day 1. He can run, jump, and dunk. That’s literally it. No basketball iq, and is completely non skilled. Kinda trash to me

[@funkygooseworld2382]

He would be a superstar if this was the 90's or early 2000's...

[@ravens4207]

probably not

[@rodney818]

How he does nothing good consistently

[@crablord7934]

A thing about development is that only the less than one percent elite are the ones guaranteed to be successful (Bron, KD, Giannis, etc) and for most cases, luck is as important as hard work and talent. The wrong circumstances will very likely destroy your chances of reaching your ceiling regardless of how hard you climb. It's harsh but very much true.

[@bigd4life865]

There is more to it. He has had chances to hit the reset button and it hasn't worked.

[@CC-bw7im]

The mavs and knicks could honestly use dsj right now

[@ravens4207]

if this is true (it’s isn’t) both teams should just pack it in for the rest of the season

[@liferealgood]

Yea on a 10-day deal. Dude would not get minutes ahead of IQ or Burks.

[@jacobfischer8385]

Need this man on Phoenix's bench

[@briangibbon3381]

He wasn't set up to fail. The year after he was picked dallas got luka donic. So he got dropped to the 2nd scoring option but he couldn't hold his weight there. What makes anyone think he can be a one if he can't be a 2nd option. And the knicks might have alot of guards but he didn't beat anyone out. All the guards they had were better then him....

[@ravens4207]

this is obviously the truth it’s crazy to see people twist themselves into justifying why an undersized guard who can’t shoot or defend deserved real nba minutes

[@GunninRebel55]

@Hoops Reference: Do you use this same voice when you’re having a normal conversation? I say idk…. my wife says no freaking way cause you’d annoy everybody u talk too. 😂

[@nitoshadow]

as a mavs fan I liked Dennis smith jr when he was on our team

[@dragc1039]

I want more of these

[@JC-tu6hc]

More player profile vids pls. Thank you.

[@willkietzman6504]

Yes I want to see more content like this

[@brandongordon2392]

Luka could've worked with DSJ as long as they learned off each other and Smith could've been solid off the ball with proper development

[@ravens4207]

probably not

[@merrylderrickson3147]

if a player's entire career trajectory is impacted negatively by a coach or a team ...they were never going to be anything there's 29 other teams and head coaches to remake yourself on. if you don't, you don't, and i have zero faith that under the best of circumstances you would have done any differently adversity is necessary to grow, necessary to learn how to push thru it. i have no sympathy for anyone in any job or situation that just cannot figure it out. thats far more an indication of lack of passion and inegrity than it is that "the situation was unfair" this isn't to say he cannot...but it is to say that if he does, he'll be the first one to acknowledge HE had to change

[@poormansrepublic7823]

And when these players snap out on coaches everybody wants to come down on the players, as if these coaches are squeaky clean

[@henrygilboa7022]

y'all j gonna ignore that he swore for the first time ever?? 7:33

[@MannyMensah94]

Rick Carlisle really screwed DSJ big time. Hopefully he bounced back in with the Trail blazers

[@raymondthomas1574]

Cuban did too

[@LetRock]

Set up from day one, he was supposed to be the star next to Luka but Rick never liked him. I thought he was the steal of the draft

[@Wuisini]

Crazy how the media makes it seem like him and Luka were rivals instead they were actually good friends spending hours playing video games.

[@EduSanjuan777]

Just compare his development with Brunson development... DSJ has the athletic talent to be like Ja Morant. However, even before the nba Ja had a shot and was smart running his team. DSJ wasn't. And the amount of god given gift each has. The thing is DSJ was more worried about highlights and dunks than actually improving as a basketball player from the beginning. He is athletic and can defend if motivated. No shot. No skill at running a team. Zero ball IQ.

[@EduSanjuan777]

All the same, Carlisle is abysmal developing any young talent, and if DSJ would have landed with another head coach it might have been different. Problem is DSJ has had a lot more chances and never made the most of them.

[@voycedatruf]

I really think Philly should give him a shot...

[@maximusa1364]

Dennis is a good player And I feel bad

[@crazedclone7730]

It's so impossibly stupid that Rick Carlisle decided that this pairing wouldn't work after 32 games. Holy shit, who would have thought DSJ needs time to adjust to being an off ball guard after being a lead ball handler his whole life. I'm shocked

[@ravens4207]

a lot of shooting is inherent dsj lacked the inherent shooting skills so they (rightfully) figured he wouldn’t get much better with practice and that they’d better save their time developing real nba talent

[@rasmie8858]

I'm all for player development on the court, but he should never have been put in a position with so much pressure right out of the gate. It's a solid confidence booster if they manage to work it, but the downfall with failure is real. Cade Cunningham is in the same position but he was #1 pick and he has the benefit of playing on a overall bad team with no real star so expectations are pretty low, and he still caught a lot of flack for playing bad first several games. I imagine Mavs front office forced Carlisle to put him in the starter position despite his contention...coaches get blamed a lot, but they are coaches for a reason, it's their job to make the team a contender and clearly DSJ was not a piece of the puzzle. DSJ should have been traded sooner to a team that would appreciate his talents and give him a room to grow.

[@E3litecompany]

This is insane he’s only 24

[@deliezer]

Am thinking that he is a prime rescue project. The right kind of team sometimes redeems guys like this - like Wiggins on the Warriors.

[@dchang8619]

As rough as he was on DSJ, Carlisle wasn't wrong either though.... Mavs got a great haul for DSJ while they still could, even though KP hasn't panned out to be an all-star, he's still better than DSJ, plus they also got THJ.

[@bracebrooks967]

Very interesting video! I feel bad for Dennis. I don't believe he deserved to be treated like that. At least he's still in the Nba, but with the struggling Blazers who clearly need to trade Damian Lillard and rebuild.

[@camerondaley6902]

So Carlyle can disrespect a player but no one saying nothing

[@lucasjohnson275]

Can you do one on Joe Alexander?

[@lilterell442]

Make more of these vids

[@bluefrenchhorn2606]

Wish the Mavericks actually kept him around longer, he might've been the secondary star level playmaker and shot creator we needed next to Luka

[@ravens4207]

no he wouldn’t have he’s not a good player period

[@carnelld.i.ytobegreat6954]

He will be a nice fit coming off the bench for a team like GsW

[@kimpoy7905]

I wish warriors would get this man a chance in the future.

[@icemansosa8286]

Neka Pride is here

[@error-mc5xw]

Small guy who can not shoot the ball, he is simply not as good as people think.

[@MrReece9]

He should be getting some burn in Portland given the fact that Lillard and McCollum have been out with injury. But who knows. I'd love to see DSJ in New Orleans. They don't really have any PG depth.

[@lk2704]

He averaged 15 ppg in his first year, shame he got betrayed

[@MarkSKChan]

Well.........at least Ric was was right about Donovan.

[@colewrld901]

He was set up to fail but he also had a golden opportunity in New York and blew it big time 🤷

[@jayherbogaming]

Gotta love the delusion of Knicks fans

[@W15DUMB]

yep. It also didn't help the fact his mother(I believe) died.

[@colewrld901]

@@W15DUMB yeah that was tough. That's sum crazy shit to deal with

[@W15DUMB]

@@colewrld901 depression hit him real hard. Idk how players can get back from that like geez man. plus he played with knicks.

[@cookingwitchefzayy8830]

Thank you dude was trash in new york I wad pissed didn't learn how go shoot or anything

[@thebobbybacalaofryders8116]

Ja Morant is everything we thought DSJ would be

[@WestbrickFansGotNoBrains]

Ja morant have moves. Just trash landing mechanies like drose. Dwnnis smith jr. Only have that left hand and shoulder hesi move and thats all. He will use that 99% speed after the fake or hesi to finish. Which is so predictable and too often he gets block even when hes one of the most ecplosive player.

[@ShadowDragonGT]

Nba should have a therapist so players could go see them especially When young players haven’t been away from home for so long or still learning about the stress of the job

[@dutchpackdior2178]

Mavs should have never traded him . Look at em now , can't get out of the first round . Dsj x Luka after a few years would of been legit .

[@ToastWifTheMost]

Always thought he got done wrong by Dallas

[@edwardpaolopakingan3101]

That's why you should always learn to have that mamba mentality.

[@Giant_Original]

I think some coach are just stupid inside the NBA league, and i don't blame potential players at all. Dennis issue is related to curry issue when he was in his rookie years, but thanks to coach Jackson he trusted curry through hell he went in the beginnings. So ma blame is going to stupid coaches who don't see the bright futures in players

[@healthfadsfade]

Dallas might as well bring him back why not

[@camerondaley6902]

Duhh they wanted another Dirk

[@chrishartman4132]

I agree.

[@idipped2521]

I even thought Dennis Smith Jr. was going to be a great player. Crazy

[@TheFocuslja]

Can we figure out what REALLY happened to Terrence Williams???

[@deandre2970]

I thought he was still on Detroit

[@KH-ou4st]

Nope, he's on the blazers, this guy is turning into a journeyman now smh

[@samuelreed2994]

Coaches aren't always good

[@jayherbogaming]

Fax

[@winfredbyrd4649]

Dennis Smith couldn't take Killian Hayes spot or get a spot on the Knicks his all his fault