NBA Draft Film Breakdown: Nick Smith Jr.'s Scoring Ability

Nick Smith Jr is arguably the most talented guard in all of college basketball. And he'll be a major cog in any eventual Arkansas NCAA tournament run.

Despite his knee issues that kept him out for over half the season, he has shown the ability to score the ball at all three levels effectively.

Let's take a closer look at his scoring ability and see what has caused a scoring burst of nearly 22 points per game over his last four contests:

Finishing

Amongst all draft eligible prospects, Smith comfortably has the best floater in the draft.

His elite touch really stands out and he can be pretty creative when finishing around the rim, as he’s comfortable finishing off of one or both feet.

On the flip side of things, Smith is a below-the-rim finisher. He has zero dunks in the half-court due to a lack of explosiveness and pop and he doesn’t put a ton of pressure on the rim which could hurt his efficiency. In the half-court he only has two non-assisted layups out of twelve games. The lack of shooting and spacing on Arkansas definitely plays a factor in this.

Nick Smith Jr has positives and negatives with his paint scoring. A big positive is his elite floater in the lane. Unreal touch inside the paint. On the negative side of things, he has zero dunks in the half-court due to a lack of explosiveness. He struggles to create open looks… pic.twitter.com/phO2KDVVJs
— Global Scouting (@GlobalScouting_) March 6, 2023

Shooting

Smith is a good spot-up shooter that does a great job at playing without the ball. I love his shot preparation and he has very smooth shot mechanics.

He has deep range that extends past 23 feet. He has smooth energy transformation on his jumper. The touch is elite from all over the floor which is very important when determining a prospect’s shooting upside. You simply can’t leave him open as he’s shooting 55.6% on all unguarded catch and shoot jumpers which ranks him in the 97th percentile.

His three-point shooting percentage in the NBA likely projects anywhere from 36-40%.

Nick Smith Jr is a good spot-up shooter which allows him to play off the ball. He has a smooth shooting stroke and great shot preparation. Moves well without the ball. His touch is off the charts. He’s shooting 55.6% on all unguarded catch and shoot jumpers (97th percentile). pic.twitter.com/2N6hdOrJWb
— Global Scouting (@GlobalScouting_) March 6, 2023

Shot-making

The shot-making ability is what makes Smith a special scoring prospect.

He has a ton of shot versatility and is an elite shot-maker from all over the floor. He has great footwork getting into his pull-up jumpers. From the mid-range to three he’s extremely effective with his pull-up jumper that he can leverage at any time. He’s someone that can get you a much-needed bucket late in the shot clock.

He has unreal scoring instincts and is always wired to score from anywhere on the floor

Nick Smith Jr is an elite shot-maker from the perimeter. He has great scoring instincts with the ball in his hands. He has a ton of shot versatility and great footwork getting into his pull-up jumper. He’s currently shooting 37.1% on all jumpers off the dribble (52nd percentile). pic.twitter.com/2QPdoxgFlQ
— Global Scouting (@GlobalScouting_) March 6, 2023

Shot-creation

Smith has a smooth handle and is really good at creating his own offense. He has great wiggle and advanced footwork as a ball-handler.

He does a great job of changing speeds and utilizes change of pace to get to his spots. How consistently and easy Smith can get to his spots in the half-court is one of the better parts of his game. He has plenty of creativity in his bag as a ball-handler, but at times he can over-dribble and his handle can occasionally get loose. Continuing to tighten up his handle and being more efficient with his dribbles will make him that much more special with the ball in-hand.

Nick Smith Jr is a great shot-creator with a ton of creativity off the bounce. Has a ton of wiggle and advanced footwork as a ball-handler. He does a great job of creating his own shot. I love his overall craft and change of pace. Not focused about the missed shot in this clip. pic.twitter.com/ysZgdUfseY
— Global Scouting (@GlobalScouting_) March 6, 2023

After breaking down Nick Smith Jr’s scoring ability, it’s very clear that he’s one of the best scoring guards in the entire class.

On the season he’s shooting 39.5% from the field and 34.0% from three, so improving his efficiency will be a major improvement point with the season coming to an end.

In his defense, the knee injuries and lack of shooters on Arkansas has played a huge part in his poor shooting.

With the SEC tournament rolling around, he’ll need to continue being an elite scorer for Arkansas if they want to make a run in March.

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