Dennis Smith coming into his own, Grabs Freshman of the Week Honors

#WPN @Dennis4Smith has been named the ACC Freshman of the Week after averaging 19.5 points, 7.5 assists and 2.5 steals in 2 Pack wins pic.twitter.com/dx5mofgZav

— NC State Men's Bball (@PackMensBball) December 19, 2016

Dennis Smith Jr was awarded ACC freshman of the week honors yesterday. Smith averaged 19.5 points, 7.5 assists and 2.5 steals in NC State’s 2 wins this past week.

As we keep telling you, the stat lines are always going to be there, but what we’ve loved seeing is how he’s acclimated to the college game since the beginning of the season. Smith started off decent, but you could tell he was feeling out his role. He was a little more passive than many fans expected, and left many wondering if he was still not trusting his knee.

Well, that question has been answered. Since his late game heroics against Tennessee State, Smith has turned the corner. His confidence is up, he’s attacking, he’s initiation contact and he’s slowly but surely becoming the floor general for NC State. With just a couple more games to go before ACC season kicks off, Smith will look to build off of his big week with games against McNeese St. and Rider.