The San Antonio Spurs are nonetheless hovering close to the underside of the standings and meaning they need to have loads of choices on the high of the NBA Draft this summer season. A type of prospects who will probably be obtainable to them is Arkansas freshman Nick Smith Jr. He’s had a little bit of a roller-coaster season as he began the season injured and obtained injured once more in the course of it. Nonetheless, he’s began to return alongside in the previous few weeks.
The 6-foot-5, 185-pound guard does just a little little bit of the whole lot within the backcourt. He has proven some flashes of deep taking pictures and attending to the rim in his restricted time. He has a deep bag of strikes and is extremely shifty in his actions with the ball. Listed here are his stats from the 14 video games he has been capable of play this season.
14.0 PPG, 2.0 APG, 1.8 RPG, 0.9 SPG39.1 FG%, 34.4 3P%, 73.9 FTpercent15.4 PER, 100.1 ORtg, 102.3 DRtg
26 factors in 28 minutes for Nick Smith final evening, demonstrating his great scoring instincts and creativity off the bounce now that he is lastly wholesome. NBA groups love the competitiveness he is exhibiting, as most guys in his state of affairs wouldn’t be taking part in proper now. pic.twitter.com/4LwBmxm7ar
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) February 22, 2023
Nick Smith Jr. Breakdown
Popping out of highschool, Smith was hailed as an excellent shooter and ball handler. The ball dealing with has proven itself fairly a bit in his quick stint and it’s clear he can run the offense on the subsequent stage. He has the ball on a string and may get to only about any spot on the ground. What made him deadly in highschool was his capacity to drag up from wherever too, however that has not revealed itself as a lot on the collegiate stage.
Smith hasn’t displayed an enormous penchant for making defensive performs but. Nonetheless, he does have the potential along with his pace and plus wingspan. A part of that isn’t having performed constantly over a 4 or five-month season and a part of it’s not eager to be an excessive amount of of an alpha canine when he steps on the ground as that’s the position he normally performs.
Probably the most thrilling a part of Smith’s sport is his contact. He’s nice within the floater sport and may shoot the ball effectively. Nonetheless, his numbers don’t replicate this season. That was one among his calling playing cards as a five-star recruit popping out of highschool. Nonetheless, he makes use of that as a crutch to not get all the way in which to the rim at instances. That ought to include gaining power and placing on weight on the subsequent stage. Realizing all this and even nonetheless with an uneven season at Arkansas, Smith ought to discover himself getting picked within the high 10 on this 12 months’s draft.
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