4. Nick Smith Jr., Arkansas
At the point guard position, Nick Smith Jr. is probably the biggest hit-or-miss prospect in this year’s NBA Draft class. And the unfortunate part of it all is that most of that is due to an injury that pretty much derailed his freshman season with the Razorbacks. Smith at one point was the top high school prospect in the 2022 class. To put it simply, he never truly showed any of that potential during his time at Arkansas. And the big question heading into the NBA Draft is whether or not he should still be viewed as that talented of a player.
Smith averaged 13 points 37 percent shooting from the field and 34 percent shooting from 3-point range in an otherwise disappointing freshman season. He only played in 17 games and was even benched at one point during the NCAA Tournament.
Known for his explosive offense, Smith will need to prove that he can be an efficient player on that end of the floor and, perhaps most importantly, that he is still that extremely talented player that he was coming out of high school.
And all it takes is for one team willing to take a flier on him early on in the NBA Draft.