NC State point guard Dennis Smith Jr. shone brightly this season for a dismal 15-17 North Carolina State University team. Smith Jr., like most superstar freshman on poor college teams, will go pro after one collegiate season. Smith Jr.’s intent to declare for the 2017 NBA Draft was reported Tuesday by Adam Zagoria of FanRag Sports:
A projected top-5 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, Smith Jr. will declare for the draft, “There’s no question,” an N.C. State source told FanRagSports.com.
Publicly, Smith Jr. has yet to announce his decision:
“I’m not sure right now,” he said. “Right now I’m focused on finishing up this semester strong and I look forward to making the decision after that.”
This season for the Wolfpack, Smith Jr. averaged 18.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 45.5 percent and 35.9 percent from deep.
Smith Jr. was named ACC Rookie of the Year and was also named to the All-Conference Second Team and the All-Conference Rookie Team.