Dennis Smith Jr. Is Changing His Jersey To Number 4 Like He Had At NC State, Which Means He's About To Become A Goddamn Superstar

Emilee Chinn. Getty Images.

NY Post- Knicks point guard Dennis Smith Jr. is changing his jersey number — and perhaps his fortunes. Smith will return to the No. 4 he wore at North Carolina State, according to an NBA source.

The 22-year-old point guard from Fayetteville, N.C., had been wearing jersey No. 5 since he got traded from Dallas to the Knicks in the Kristaps Porzingis deal, in January 2019. It will be Smith’s third different number in the league. After being drafted ninth by Dallas in 2017, Smith wore No. 1 with the Mavericks. But after the trade to the Knicks, he deferred to Emmanuel Mudiay. Because Mudiay wore No. 1, Smith switched to 5. Smith’s college No. 4 was also taken by UNC rival no less, forward Isaiah Hicks. Neither Hicks nor Mudiay is still with the Knicks.

Dennis Smith Jr. just gets it. I'm pretty sure that is the first time I, or anybody else in the world, has ever said that about Dennis Smith Jr. since he entered the NBA. But he's changed teams, changed his approach, and all has resulted in moments like this:

So when all else fails, and trust me it has FAILED, you change your jersey number. I spilt Lord knows how much digital ink writing about which jersey numbers are fast for running backs yesterday.

I may not have "lined up" on the hardwood, but everyone with a brain knows that basketball jersey numbers are even more important than that and maybe even the most important number in all of sports. The number 1 raises a guards Overall rating no less than 10 points in my eyes, a swingman with 23 could dunk no matter how tall he was, and a traditional big with the number 32-34 was at the very least a lock for 20 and 10. You change the number, you change the player. Hell, I did a whole blog on how the only thing the Knicks needed to do fix Carmelo Anthony was change his number from 7 to 15.

Instead he #STAYEDME7O then promptly was forced #FIN15H his career by bouncing around the NBA. Meanwhile I'm convinced that Luka wears number 77 so people will continue to sleep on him even after he has won multiple MVPs because if you see a foreign player wearing 77, you think of this abject disaster.

Luka is playing Risk while the rest of the NBA is playing checkers.

Number 1 obviously didn't do the trick for Smith since the Mavs shipped his ass outta town after 1.5 season for a 7'3" dude with knee problems and number 5 has been an abject disaster. But number 4 is a much more athletic number for a guard like DSJ and seemed to do the trick in college to the tune of 18/6/4 and highlights like this.

I need number 4 Dennis Smith on the Knicks. I'm not just talking NC State Dunk On Everyone's Face Dennis Smith Jr. but the guy who had the type of energy to send out this tweet.

The Knicks are so back! #SL4NGTHISWOOD