The second Arkansas Razorback has officially been taken in the 2023 NBA Draft. [autotag]Nick Smith Jr.[/autotag] was selected No. 27 by the Charlotte Hornets. Smith joins Anthony Black as the second Razorback taken in the first round of this year’s draft.
Congratulations to Nick Smith, Jr. on being drafted 27th by the @hornets pic.twitter.com/tJGy7LXgML
— Eric Musselman (@EricPMusselman) June 23, 2023
Smith arrived in Fayetteville as the No. 1 prospect in the 2022 recruiting cycle. The North Little Rock native was joined Anthony Black and Jordan Walsh as McDonald’s All-Americans in Arkansas’s historic 2022 recruiting class.
The one season that Smith spent in Fayetteville didn’t come without some adversity. After looking like one of the best players in the country during the team’s summer exhibition, a knee injured sidelined him for the first six games of the season. He returned for four games before missing more time due to a knee injury.
All-in-all, Smith appeared in 17 games for Arkansas where he averaged 12.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.8 steals in 25.8 minutes per game.
Smith’s injury-riddled freshman season left a lot to be desired from many Arkansas fans and may have played a big part in him sliding out of the lottery in this year’s NBA Draft. Despite that, Smith is still a first round selection and lands in a very advantageous situation with the Hornets.
With Black and Smith both being selected in the first round, it marks the first time since 1992 that multiple Arkansas Razorbacks have been selected in any NBA Draft.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=130]