The former Mavericks Lotto Show is participating in the 76ers training camp. Can he return to the NBA?

According to Keith Pompey, former NBA lottery pick Dennis Smith Jr. is currently attending the Philadelphia 76ers' two-day veteran mini-camp. He is one of several invited players and he is also striving to be able to earn a place on the team through his performances during the mini camp.

Smith was born in December 1997 and is 27 years old, 191cm tall and weighs 93kg. He is the backcourt player selected by the Mavericks in the 2017 NBA Draft in the 9th pick in the first round. Last summer, Smith had no way to get a contract from an NBA team. He felt that he had been at home before this season. In the 2023-24 season, Smith played for the Brooklyn Nets. He played 56 times in the NBA regular season, averaging 18.9 minutes per game, averaging 6.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.2 blocks, and 1.2 turnovers and 2.2 fouls. He shot 43.5% from the field, 29.4% from three-point shooting percentage and 74.1% from free throws. Smith's overall performance is not particularly bad, but it may still not be able to achieve satisfactory levels. He also failed to get a contract from an NBA team last summer.

In mid-December last year, Smith completed the signing of the NBA Development League. He hoped that he could join the Austin Spurs, a subordinate team of the San Antonio Spurs, but it did not happen. The Milwaukee Bucks' subordinate team, the Wisconsin Deer, received Smith's NBA Development League signing rights, but he has never played for the Wisconsin Deer. In January this year, Smith joined the La Liga giants Real Madrid, and he has made a total of 4 appearances for Real Madrid. Two of them appeared in the La Liga and two of them appeared in the Champions League. In these four games, Smith averaged only 8.8 minutes of playing time, and his average data was as low as 2.8 points, 1 rebound, 0.8 assists and 0.2 steals, and 1.2 turnovers and 0.8 fouls. His shooting percentage was 30.8%, his three-point shooting percentage was 16.7%, and his free throw shooting percentage was 100%. It is also because his performance was too poor, and the impact of injuries, Smith also left Real Madrid in February this year, and he has never been able to find a job since then.

Smith was also a highly-watched potential stock. He has excellent physical talent and athleticism, and he is considered a chance to become a top star. Unfortunately, Smith has never fulfilled his talent, and his overall performance has never been able to meet everyone's expectations. Coupled with the impact of injuries, this has caused him to be unable to gain a foothold in the NBA. I don't know if Smith can prove his strength in mini camp and strive to return to the NBA.