Dennis Smith Jr. skipped Knicks workout after being asked for physical
Everyone knew coming into the draft that the New York Knicks wanted a point guard with the eighth pick.
The decision came down to either Dennis Smith Jr., a high flying guard from NC State, or the lesser-known prospect in Frank Ntilikina, who was said to be raw but had tremendous upside, especially on defense.
Both players arranged for a workout, but only Ntilikina followed through. Smith left his meeting because the Knicks wanted him to do some things he wasn't prepared for, including a physical.
"The Knicks were forcing me to do a couple things that were already established that I wasn't going to do," Smith told Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.
"I was uncomfortable with them. I felt comfortable here in Dallas. They did a good job making me feel like I was already a player here. People think that I just dipped out of the Knicks workout because I didn't want the Knicks to take me, but no.
"It wasn't over that ... but they kept insisting on the physical. I knew it would be a no-go."
Smith landed instead with the Dallas Mavericks at the ninth pick, and is now averaging 14.3 points and 4.5 assists on 39.5 percent shooting from the field.