Pro Hawgs: Smith records incredible performance in Summer League action

This is who we all expected to see at some point.

Nick Smith, Jr. excelled during NBA Summer League action on Tuesday night. The North Little Rock, (Ark.) native scored 33 points but had a solid all-around game for the Charlotte Hornets. Smith pulled in 4 rebounds and 3 assists as well against the Portland Trailblazers.

His shooting was impressive and was efficient at a rate that hasn’t been seen so far. Smith shot 13-20 from the field including 4-5 from begin the arc.

This all comes following a deep fall to the 27th overall pick in last month’s NBA Draft. Before he made his collegiate debut, Smith was thought to be one of the top five prospects on the board. He would suffer an injury to his right knee that ended up sidelining him for half the season.

In 17 games during the 2022-23 season, Smith recorded 12.5 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists for Arkansas.

Smith can be a streaky three point shooter with such a smooth release. His ability to score in bunches was seen in small snippets but this could be a performance that gives him confidence to be a future star.

The 6’5 185 pound combo guard and former overall number one player in the 2023 recruiting cycle could actually be the steal of the NBA Draft. At least for one night the rookie outshined fellow first round pick Brandon Miller.