Hornets: How Nick Smith Jr. Can Fit Next To LaMelo Ball

In the 2022 high school basketball recruiting class, Nick Smith Jr. slotted in as the third-best player in the country per RSCI. He then took his highly-touted talents to his local school, the University of Arkansas. 

While his freshman season was riddled with injuries, the 6-foot-4 point guard had some spectacular spurts when on the hardwood. In his 14 starts, he averaged just shy of 15 points per game. However, in large part due to injuries, Smith Jr. slipped on draft night. Despite being a top-10 talent in the class, the Sherwood native slipped to the Charlotte Hornets at pick No. 27.

It didn’t take long for his true talent to show, though. Smith Jr. quickly recorded a 33-point performance in a Summer League contest against the Portland Trail Blazers. His dazzling style of shifty movements, creative handle combinations, stellar touch, potent shot-making, and shrewd passing made a great first impression for many NBA fans.

In Charlotte, there is a long-term vacancy in the backcourt alongside 22-year-old all-star LaMelo Ball. While currently occupied by Terry Rozier, he’s pushing 30 years old, simply not aligning with the Hornets’ timeline. In 2021, the organization tried to fill this position by selecting James Bouknight out of UConn with the No. 11 overall pick. Unfortunately for them, he hasn’t yet found any footing in the league.

This leaves an opportunity for Smith Jr to slot in alongside Ball, Brandon Miller, and Mark Williams as a staple in the squad’s young core. He already has a lot of what it takes to thrive playing off of Ball offensively as a high-paced offensive weapon, but it’s on the defensive end where he will truly assert himself as the other starting guard of Charlotte’s future.

Unlike his older brother, Ball is far from a defensive stalwart. He has his moments where his length, movement, and instincts lead to home-run steals, but he typically isn’t one to lock in on opposing ball handlers.

This means that Smith Jr. will have to pick up this slack. The good news is that Smith Jr. is a willing point-of-attack defender. He consistently presses up on ball handlers, flipping his hips to stay in their grill. He isn’t quite a lockdown defender, but Smith Jr.’s current work rate, length, agility, and quickness provide the foundation of a good guard defender as he continues to add strength and play next to Ball.