Knicks' Dennis Smith Jr. Ruled out vs. 76ers Because of Concussion

New York Knicks point guard Dennis Smith Jr. has been ruled out for the remainder of Thursday night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers because of concussion-like symptoms. 

Smith suffered the injury after taking an inadvertent elbow to the head in the second quarter.

Smith briefly left the team in November following the death of his stepmother and missed seven games. Then a minor wrist injury and a strained left oblique forced him out of the lineup for brief stretches as well.

The 22-year-old is averaging 5.5 points and 3.9 assists through 33 appearances in 2019-20.

The Knicks acquired Smith as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade in February 2019. Since he was a regular starter over the second half of 2018-19, the addition of Elfrid Payton in the offseason seemed to indicate the front office grew unsure of Smith's long-term value to the team.

This season has been nothing short of a disaster for New York, following a summer in which it failed to land Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant or any other big-name free agents. The team dismissed head coach David Fizdale in December and president Steve Mills in February.

New York entered Thursday night's play at 17-41, tied for the fewest wins in the Eastern Conference.

Smith's absence couldn't possibly make things worse for the Knicks. Payton will likely be asked to take on more responsibility at point guard until Smith returns to the court.