By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Dennis Smith Jr. talked about joining Real Madrid for the remainder of the season.
Following confirmation of the addition of the 27-year-old American point guard to the roster, the team based in the Spanish capital shared an interview with Smith.
“It means a lot. It’s two basketball minds that spoke very highly of the club. And it’s two guys that I respect,” he opened up about talking to the Spanish head coach of the Brooklyn Nets Jordi Fernandez, and former Dallas Mavericks teammate Luka Doncic about Los Blancos, “Jordi Fernandez, coach of the Brooklyn Nets, I had a talk with him and he spoke very highly of the club. And Luka Doncic as well. This team was kind of a no-brainer for me to pick this team if I was going to go overseas.”
“Doncic told me the city was great. He loves it over here. Like I said, he spoke very highly of the club as well as the city. It was kind of easy for me to choose to come here and play,” he commented on the impact of previous discussions with the Slovenian sensation, a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion with the storied club in 2018.
Further connections included Mario Hezonja. “We played together at the Knicks for a while,” he referred to the 29-year-old Croatian forward of Madrid, “Having a good relationship with him, seeing him over here playing, I was able to talk to him and get a feel of how things would be. Seeing Campazzo over here and seeing Serge Ibaka too, those are guys I played against in the league. So, it is pretty dope to come and play with those guys as teammates.”
The veteran of 326 NBA games, a former North Carolina State standout, also described what fans can expect from his first overseas experience.
“Just a level of toughness. Being able to go to the paint. Find guys. Being one of the best defenders in the league. And just a winning mentality, coming over as a real team player, somebody that can help the guys play to their maximum ability. And be able to fit in as well,” he said, “Just a guy that is about all the right things.”
“Prior to coming over, I was watching some of my college tapes and I see the differences in how I viewed the game then to how I do now. Now, it’s just so much about what I can do to help my team. That’s pretty important in professional sports,” he added.
Smith meets the team coached by Chus Mateo at 12-9 in the EuroLeague and 12-4 in Spain’s Liga Endesa, heading to the bottom end of the 2024-25 continental and domestic journeys.
“He wants me to come in and play my game but he also wants me to maximize me in terms of playing on the ball and off the ball,” he said on projected assignments under the guidance of Mateo.
🎙 @Dennis1SmithJr 🎙#WelcomeSmithJr pic.twitter.com/ZmEJZMYLlJ
— Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) January 16, 2025