NBA Mock Draft: Buying or selling 11 biggest trending draft rumors

NBA Draft Rumor: Nick Smith Jr. will fall out of lottery

Before the college basketball season began, Nick Smith Jr. was considered as the No. 3 overall prospect in this year’s NBA Draft class. There was even some thought that he could end up being taken No. 2 overall if he had a good freshman season at Arkansas. As we know now, that didn’t happen. In fact, Smith had a possible worst-case scenario freshman season with the Razorbacks.

So much so that he’s trending down heading into the NBA Draft. This is not a rumor as much as it is a trend in recent mock drafts. There are many mocks that have Smith falling into the late lottery or completely out of it. With less than two weeks before the NBA Draft, it’s hard to see how Smith can drastically change the narrative on his draft stock.

The big question for Smith is whether the recent mock draft trends are more smoke or fire. Is there substance to the complete tumble that some are expecting him to continue to take over the next couple of weeks? Quite frankly, I don’t buy it.

I don’t envision a player with top 5 talent falling out of the lottery. In fact, I still believe there’s a good chance he ends up being a top 10 pick in the NBA Draft.

Verdict: Sell