Nick Smith Jr Draft Grade Roundup
CBS Sports A-
The No. 1 recruit in 2022 at 247Sports, Smith now is reunited with grassroots teammate Brandon Miller. It's not clear that it's going to hit, but this is a smart swing for high upside in this space for a rebuilding team. Smith's knee injury dramatically affected his college year, but so did some issues with timing and defense. Figure that stuff out, and you've got a nice big guard who can score and has the talent to work out.
Yahoo Sports B+
Smith is a shifty guard who slipped a little bit due to his inconsistent season at Arkansas. He'll need a little time to adjust and develop his game at the next level, but during the pre-draft process he showed an improved outside jumper and a much better motor. If he starts hitting the floater in the lane like he showed glimpses of at Arkansas, Smith could end up being a cross between Immanuel Quickley and Tyrese Maxey.
USA Today A-
The national freshman of the year brings length to Charlotte, and becomes another exciting young piece for the Hornets. Miller was a clear NBA talent in his lone season with the Crimson Tide, averaging 18.8 and 8.2 rebounds per game, while also showing some range from beyond the arc. Miller has the size to be disrupter on defense, but what’s going to be the key to his success is having a consistent shot. When Miller gets hot, it’s tough to stop, and he’ll complement LaMelo Bell well by playing on the wing.
Bleacher Report B+
Charlotte needs upside as much as any team in this league, so buying low on Smith makes a lot of sense.A combination of injury issues and inefficiency led to a disappointing one-and-done season, which torpedoed the idea of his being a top-10 pick in this draft. The benefit of the doubt only forgives so much for a scoring guard who converted just 39.7 percent of his twos and 33.8 percent of his threes.Still, if he fine-tunes his shot selection and bulks up his 6'5", 185-pound frame, he still has time to get everything back on track. And the Hornets absolutely have time to wait. At his best, he's a slippery scorer with deep range on his pull-up, the ability to throw live-dribble passes and a willingness to defend.
SB Nation A
Smith was thought to be the best freshmen in college basketball coming into the season at Arkansas. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury just before the season started and never really looked right. At his best, Smith is a speedy ball handler with a deep bag of scoring tricks: he has a deadly floater, he can hit three-pointers off movement, and he’s developing as a passer. Smith is a small guard and will face questions defensively, but if gets fully healthy this could end up looking like a major steal.
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