Lebron James praises Dennis Smith Jr after he drops 21 points on Cavs

Former NC State point guard Dennis Smith Jr. didn’t quite conquer the king, but he did make him a new fan.

Smith Jr dropped 21 points on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night, but the Mavs fell 111-104. The rookie also added 7 assists, 5 boards, 2 steals and 2 blocks.

After the game, LeBron praised Smith Jr, calling him a ‘diamond in the rough’ and saying that the Knicks shouldn’t have passed on him in this years NBA draft.

“The Knicks passed on a really good one, and Dallas got the diamond in the rough,” said James. “He should be a Knick. That’s going to make some headlines, but he should be a Knick. Dallas, I know they’re excited that he didn’t go there.” (see the video)

That is now two straight 20+ point performances for DSJ, who is up to averaging 15 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds per game.

Check out the Dennis Smith Jr highlights from last night’s dual with Lebron and the Cavs: