Nick Smith Jr. – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Why Nick Smith Jr. might fall a bit further in the 1st round of the NBA Draft than expected

Don’t be shocked if Nick Smith Jr. falls in the NBA draft

Nick Smith Jr. is one of the more tantalizing talents in the NBA draft at guard.

When he’s at his best, he’s fast and explosive. He can score with the best of them in this draft class.

The problem is, we just haven’t seen that much of Smith at his best this year. Those glimpses have come few and far between. That’s why you shouldn’t be surprised if Smith slips a bit in the 2023 NBA draft.

Now, to be clear, Smith is a surefire first-round talent in this draft class. But there are a lot of ways teams could potentially poke at his game.

The numbers aren’t big. He only averaged 12.5 points and 1.7 assists per game this season. To make things worse, the efficiency wasn’t there, either. He shot 37 percent from the floor and had a true shooting percentage of 47 percent, according to Sports Reference.

There’s also the fact that Smith has battled injury all year long. He missed the first six games of his career at Arkansas behind a knee injury and didn’t actually play until late November. After 5 games, he was sidelined indefinitely after aggravating the injury.

Knees are a big deal. Medical red flags like this one can be concerning for NBA teams long-term. It wouldn’t be shocking if his injury history knocks him down a few spots.

At the same time, though, Smith is still a first-round talent. There’s no disputing that. In our latest mock draft, we’ve got Smith going No. 14 overall to the New Orleans Pelicans — that’s lottery range. There’s a reason for that.

Even with the injuries, he was still an incredible player on the break. Our Bryan Kalbrosky dug this stat up from CBB Analytics.

“Even hampered by injury, Smith used his quickness to average 3.6 fastbreak points per 40 minutes. According to CBB Analytics, that ranked in the 93rd percentile among all Division I men’s college basketball players.”

That’s impressive. It’s even more impressive when you consider that he played with an ailing knee.

And, what’s more, the squad around him at Arkansas wasn’t really built the best for his game. The team had talent, of course. But there wasn’t much shooting to go around. The team shot 31% from deep as a whole. The spacing was made even worse when stretch big Trevon Brazile suffered a torn ACL and was lost for the season.

Bad spacing in college basketball makes offense hard. But Smith still found ways to be productive when healthy.

Sure, Smith didn’t have his best season. But there’s still a lot to like about him and his game. Some team will take a flyer on him — the only question is when. It might be later on. But even if it is, that’s alright. He’ll still be an NBA player at the end of the day.

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Arkansas could have more players taken than any other team in NBA Draft

No other team in the world has four players projected to be taken.

Anthony Black will go. Nick Smith Jr., too. Jordan Walsh is almost certainly going to be taken. And Ricky Council feels like an inevitability, too.

If those four players are, in fact, selected in Thursday night’s NBA Draft, Arkansas will likely have more players taken than any other program in college basketball. Perhaps more than any other team, period. Only Duke, UCLA and Michigan are teams that have even three projected selections.

It’s made for quite the change in the Razorbacks program. Under coach Eric Musselman, Arkansas has gone from good, usually-NCAA-Tournament-Round-of-32 team, to three straight Sweet 16s. And draftees at a rate unseen since the early 1990s.

Black is a Top-10 talent whose big frame and ball-handling skills make him an ideal point guard in this era of the NBA. Most have him slotted at eighth or ninth.

Smith is a former No. 2-projected pick, but injuries and inconsistent play have seen him slide down draft boards since December. But considering he was the former No. 1 high-school player in the country, his skill is intriguing.

Walsh’s camps and offseason workouts have lifted his stock back to where it was when he first came to a college as a five-star recruit. He’s now likely to go in the early second round.

Council isn’t a shooter or a defender, but his athleticism and ability to simply score from anywhere make him an ideal project with a potential long-term fit on an NBA bench.

Arkansas wasn’t getting all those kinds of players taken before. Yes, Daniel Gafford, Bobby Portis, they were going early. But they in-state rareities at the time. Smith is an Arkansas native this year, but the other three aren’t.

You can bet, regardless, for Arkansas’ representation at the draft to be a talking point on television Thursday.

As well it should be.

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Final mock drafts as draft day is here for four Razorbacks

Eric Musselman is hoping it’s like 1992 all over again and has four of his Arkansas players taken in tonight’s 2023 NBA Draft from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

[autotag]Anthony Black[/autotag], [autotag]Nick Smith Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Jordan Walsh[/autotag] and [autotag]Ricky Council IV[/autotag] are hoping to hear their names called tonight at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The 77th edition of the NBA Draft will begin at 7 p.m. CT and be televised on ABC and ESPN. ABC will only carry the first round.

Black and Smith are for sure going to be taken in the first round. Walsh and Council IV are hoping to be taken in the second, with the earlier the better.

If all four players are selected, it will be the first time since 1992 that the Razorbacks have had that many taken in one draft.

Here are an assortment of final mock drafts for all four players:

Where ESPN, USA TODAY, Yahoo! all project Arkansas players in NBA Draft

All four Arkansas players who entered the draft are expected to be selected. The question is where.

Two nights from now four Arkansas players will know their professional basketball fates.

The 2023 NBA Draft takes place on Thursday and Razorbacks guards Anthony Black, Nick Smith Jr. and wings Jordan Walsh and Ricky Council are all expected to be selected. Black and Smith are projected first-round picks, with Black even a likely lottery selection.

At this point, so close to draft date, most prognosticators are coming to a general consensus about where each player is going to land. Black, for example, is almost exclusively just inside the Top 10. Smith is in the late teens. Walsh in the late 40s and Council in the early 50s.

But there are a couple tweaks. Even the difference of one slot could make a huge difference, especially depending on the team where the player lands.

Let’s take a look at where the major outlets are projecting the players with just under 48 hours to the draft.

Some Arkansas fans may not have believed in Nick Smith Jr., but Eric Musselman does

Arkansas coach Eric Musselman thinks the world is in for surprise when it comes to Nick Smith Jr.

The Nick Smith Jr. era at Arkansas was full of tumult. Almost exclusively his.

The most highly-decorated high-school basketball player to play at Arkansas was always going to have massive expectations thrust upon him. Smith’s status as player from inside the Natural State borders exacerbated that pressure.

Smith’s one and only college season yielded just 17 games because of a knee injury. In those 17 games, he shot 37.6% from the field in averaging 12.5 points per game in 25.8 minutes per. Good numbers. Not once-in-a-lifetime numbers.

What was worse for Smith was some so-called fans’ proclamation that he was milking his injury because he didn’t really want to play for the Razorbacks. He was, apparently, just using Arkansas to up his NBA qualifications.

Of course it was nonsense, but it doesn’t stop some of those same folks from saying things even now like “He isn’t ready for the NBA.” “His size will hold him back.” “Should have stayed another year at Arkansas.” Funny, isn’t it, how the fans who dog a guy for turning pro early are the same who want him back on their roster.

Eric Musselman, Smith’s college coach, who knows him better than anyone else when it comes to assessing his skills, figures Smith is going to show out when he gets to the league.

“I don’t think Arkansas Razorback fans, I don’t think that college basketball fans, and I certainly don’t think NBA evaluators got to see what they’re going to see in the future,” Musselman said.

At one point Smith was projected to be potentially the No. 2 pick. Now, he’s more likely to go in the middle of the first round of the draft Thursday.

“If you have an early draft pick, you’ve really got to evaluate maybe the individual workouts,” Musselman said.

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Brooklyn Nets projected to take Nick Smith Jr. with 21st overall pick

The Brooklyn Nets are projected to take guard Nick Smith Jr. with the 21st overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, per Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report.

The Brooklyn Nets have the 2023 NBA Draft coming up in a few days and as of now, they still have the 21st and 22nd overall picks in the first round. Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report projects the Nets to select guard Nick Smith Jr. with the 21st pick.

Smith Jr., 19, spent just one season playing for the Arkansas Razorbacks and in that campaign, he showed a lot of what he can do at the next level. Smith Jr., standing at 6-foot-5 and 185 pounds, averaged 12.5 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 37.6% from the field and 33.8% from three-point land.

What Smith Jr. can bring to the floor right away for a team like the Nets is his ability to score the basketball at his size. Sporting a 28.7% usage rate, it’s clear that Arkansas wanted him to have the ball because of what he is able to do once he has received the ball. Smith could stand to fill out his body a bit to be more versatile on the defensive end of the floor at the NBA stage.

Here is a video breakdown of Smith Jr.’s college tape done by Adam Spinella:

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Anthony Black, Nick Smith Jr. invited to NBA Draft, per report

Nick Smith Jr. and Anthony Black have been invited to participate in the NBA Draft in-person. Both are projected first-round picks.

Former Arkansas basketball players Anthony Black and Nick Smith Jr. will almost certainly hear their names called in the first round of NBA Draft on June 22.

They may even hear them live, in-person.

Black and Smith were among the 19 players invited to the NBA Draft green room, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. That means they’re invited to be a part of the festivities and await their name calling from NBA commissioner Adam Silver when they’ll then take the stage and pose for photographs.

Such an invitation is considered a good sign for the player’s draft stock.

Black is a potential Top-10 pick after averaging 12.8 points and 5.1 rebounds in his first and only season with the Razorbacks. His stock jumped from late first-round to the top-10 as the season went on.

Smith’s dropped from his arrival in Fayetteville. At one point, he was considered the No. 2 overall prospect, but injuries and inconsistent play led him to falling into the middle part of the first round projections.

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Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson headline players invited to NBA draft green room

The top prospects are beginning to receive invitations to attend the 2023 NBA draft from the green room at Barclays Center.

With less than two weeks to go until the 2023 NBA draft, the top prospects are receiving invitations to attend the festivities in the green room at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Teams each year vote on the players they believe will be drafted early, typically the top 20-25 prospects. Last year, 24 players were invited to the green room and only one player wasn’t drafted in the first round (Jaden Hardy).

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The first two batches of invitations have been dispatched to prospects with 19 players on the initial lists, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. There will likely be at least one more group invited based on teams’ final rankings and player availability.

Here is the list of players invited to the draft green room.

Last Update: June 13, 5:15 p.m. EDT

Arkansas’ Nick Smith Jr. explains what traits he brings to the NBA

Smith is projected to be a lottery pick this year given his athleticism and ability as a scorer and passer.

Nick Smith Jr. emerged as a player that did a little bit of everything on the court at Arkansas, and it is those traits the 19-year-old wants to bring to the NBA.

Smith was limited to 17 games this past season due to injury but had a strong run with the Razorbacks upon returning to the lineup. He scored in double figures in seven straight games and averaged 18.1 points, 2.6 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals over that stretch.

He explained what qualities he’ll provide his future team.

“I feel like I bring everything to a team, whatever the coach needs me to do,” Smith said on Monday after working out with the Washington Wizards. “My point guard abilities, I feel like I didn’t get a chance to show a lot in my college year; my scoring ability. Being able to play defense and make different reads, just little stuff like that.”

Despite a down freshman campaign, Smith is still projected to be a lottery pick. He has elite athleticism and is highly touted for his ability as a scorer and passer. He flourishes in the paint and can often convert difficult looks at the rim.

He skipped the on-court drills and scrimmages last month at the combine but reportedly had a strong shooting effort during his pro day in Chicago, which was viewed as perhaps his one area of weakness after shooting 33.8% last season from beyond the arc.

Smith has worked out with the Toronto Raptors and has others scheduled ahead of the draft on June 22. He will be working hard to showcase himself in those visits as he looks to solidify himself as a lottery pick.

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2023 NBA Mock Draft 5.0: 58 projections after the early entry withdrawal deadline

Rookie Wire took a look at where the next draft class stands following the early entry withdrawal deadline.

The NBA pre-draft process crossed another important checkpoint on the schedule with the early entry withdrawal deadline coming and going this week.

Prospects had the opportunity to test the waters and meet with teams to gain feedback on their potential draft stock. To maintain their remaining college eligibility, they had to withdraw from consideration by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.

The deadline saw several potential second-round picks withdraw from the draft and return to school. With name, image and likeness playing a prevalent role in college basketball, players were likely swayed to stay one more year to work on their games and capitalize financially.

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The 2024 draft is also projected to be weaker than in past years, which also may have played a role in some players opting against turning pro. They likely believe they will have a greater chance of being a first-round pick next year.

With several players off the board, teams can prioritize workouts and interviews with those individuals remaining in the draft. As a result, players’ stock will continue to fluctuate with less than three weeks to go until the draft.

Rookie Wire took a look at where the draft stands following the early entry withdrawal deadline. Team needs were taken into consideration for these picks.