As the Pistons lose starting guard Delon Wright to a groin strain and the Knicks lose to Elfrid Payton to a hamstring strain, Sunday’s Motown PG match is set.
Derrick Rose Vs. Dennis Smith Jr. at Detroit’s Little Caesar’s Arena.
Rose and Smith were swapped with each other three weeks ago and it worked splendidly for the Knicks.
Rose, in the second straight game since Payton came down, won 17 points, 11 assists and five steals in Saturday’s big win over the Pacers to move them to .500 (17-17).
It was also enlightening for the Pistons, while Detroit seeks to revive Smith. Piston coach Dwane Casey made Smith the starting guard four games ago and found his mojo.
During this time, Smith averaged 12 points in 21.6 minutes and shot 50 percent – 46.7 out of 3. He averaged four assists and 1.5 steals.
“True, you never want to feel too comfortable because you’re content,” Smith said on the eve of the Knicks showdown. “But you can definitely tell when the feeling for the game starts to return, especially from the situation I was coming from. I feel the sensation coming back after me. ”
Smith, once the centerpiece of Kristaps Porzingis’ trade, played only three early games for the Knicks – two at a time. Then he injured his quad and never returned to the field before trading. Finally, he asked to get representatives in the G League training camp for Westchester.
In the Atlanta G League, Smith found out on Sunday that he was moving to Detroit for the Super Bowl. After the transaction, Smith told a Zoom press conference that he was “smiling all day.”
In three weeks, Smith is still smiling.
“Much better,” Smith said when asked how his conditioning is now compared to the day of the transaction. “Shout to the coaches and all the staff. He’s always looking to work. After each game, we get a post-game workout – which is new to me. They take their time out of the night. So I appreciate it.
“I think I just came in and it was me in terms of my presence,” added the 23-year-old former North Carolina state guard. “My son came in too. I feel like I really like everyone here. I feel it’s reciprocal. I simply continue to be a staple for this team and try to lead as much as I can. ”
The Pistons hold the worst NBA record in the East, at 9-24 – still stuck from losing the lottery selection to goalkeeper Killian Hayes to a major hip injury. Hayes may return before the end of the season.
On Friday against Sacramento, Smith threw a monster-driven driver into traffic – something outside of his college days. When he was told he hadn’t been in a game in a year, Smith already knew.
“It’s crazy to think a year has passed,” Smith said. “The last one was in Charlotte, because it appeared in my memories on Facebook. He was an energizer for the team. ”
Meanwhile, the Knicks are smiling too, because of the Rose-Smith transaction.
Rose, who wanted Detroit to play coach Tom Thibodeau again, was almost as announced in nine games. He was the floor leader – and played a better defense than in his first Knicks period. He has an average of 13.5 points and 4.5 assists.
After only playing in Detroit for two seasons. try not to become sentimental.
“She’s not thinking,” Rose said of her return. “I went over their feelings every time I returned to Chicago. This helped me get into the mentality of knowing it’s a business and understanding that you can’t play in a way that will be to the detriment of the team.
“It’s for the first time. I’m not talking about this unless someone brings it up. I try to leave that in retrospect, just work on my craft, trying to teach the boys every day and try to make my mark on the team whenever I can, but I can’t look back. ”