When the New York Knicks were on the clock with the eighth overall selection in the 2017 NBA Draft, Dennis Smith Jr. became a very realistic option.
In his one-and-done season at North Carolina State University, the point guard averaged 18.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists over 34.8 minutes per contest. Based on his incredible athleticism, he even drew comparisons to Russell Westbrook along his path to stardom.
However, the Knicks passed on Smith and decided to take international youngster Frank Ntilikina, also a point guard, with the pick. Smith was taken with the next selection and enjoyed an impressive Summer League campaign with the Dallas Mavericks.
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Smith recently spoke with Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News and explained that he dined with Phil Jackson before the draft, which was a bit of an awkward experience due to one comical reason.
“We went out to some restaurant and they had me eat some octopus, like an actual octopus tentacle,” Smith Jr. detailed. “First time ever. I wasn’t going to try it, honestly. They kind of put the pressure on me to do it.”
The dinner may or may not have played a role in the Knicks’ decision to pass on him, but from an official capacity, it seems as though the organization had their mind set on taking the foreign-born floor general all along.
Sources told Bondy that Ntilikina was always going to be New York’s top choice at No. 8, and Knicks president Steve Mills confirmed that report.
“I talked to our scouts a lot about Frank before the draft. I went over and watched Frank play prior to the draft, met with Frank’s coaches and learned a lot about who he is as a player and who he is as a person," Mills said. “So I’m very comfortable with that draft pick. I would have selected Frank at that point in the draft myself. He’s a guy that fits in everything that we’re talking about right now. He’s a smart basketball player. He focuses defensively and his approach to the game, his work ethic, fit exactly in the direction that we want to take this team.”
Despite the odd food choice at the dinner, Smith felt as though it went well enough for the Knicks to select him. “I definitely thought it was possible,” Smith Jr. told The Daily News. “I flew in there, I had a great meeting with them. Then the draft came and things just changed. But I’m thankful for everything that did happen.”
Smith will have the opportunity to spearhead a rebuilding effort in Dallas, where he will likely be tasked with playing major minutes in a prominent role immediately. If the Knicks had selected him, he would have ended up in a very different situation.
Despite the fact that eight players were taken before him, Smith remains one of the early Rookie of the Year favorites given the role and opportunity that he will have in Dallas. If that happens, Knicks fans will have yet another reason to dislike the current state of their franchise and will be left wondering what would have been.