Los Angeles Lakers land their dream prospect in 2017 NBA Mock Draft

The New York Knicks were losers during the NBA Draft Lottery process. They lost a tiebreaking coin flip to the Minnesota Timberwolves, putting them in the seventh slot. The ping pong balls then went against them on lottery night, dropping them to the eighth spot. It may not end up hurting them, as they still land the point guard they covet.

Earlier in the college season, there were people mentioning Dennis Smith with Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball. NC State didn’t have a great season, but Smith played some great basketball. He recorded two triple-doubles on the season, averaging 18.1 points, 6.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game. He scored over 30 points three times, including a victory over Duke at Cameron Indoor.

Smith’s stock has fallen, for whatever reason, since the season ended. The Knicks could benefit from that as they could really use a player of Smith’s caliber. He is very athletic, which helps him get into the lane and create. He has elite explosion to help finish at the rim but also possesses great court vision to kick it out and find teammates.

Improving his shooting will be integral to Smith reaching his full potential. He could step right into a starting role with the Knicks and provide them with another building block alongside Kristaps Porzingis.

There are some injury concerns with Smith, who tore his ACL prior to attending NC State. If he played that well recovering from ACL injury, imagine how well he can do as he moves further and further away from the injury.

The Knicks are hoping well, and that Smith can end their streak of underwhelming point guard play.