Nick Smith Jr., ‘a shot maker,’ provides depth for Charlotte Hornets starting road trip
Whenever rookie two-way guard Nick Smith Jr. is with the Charlotte Hornets, he tries to learn as much as he can from Steve Clifford and the coaching staff.
Smith, a first-round pick out of Arkansas, was a top-ranked recruit coming out of high school. He played just 17 games in his lone season with the Razorbacks and averaged 12.5 points.
“I have a chance to learn a lot from people who have been doing this for a long time,” Smith told reporters Saturday. “Coach Cliff, he’s been doing this for a long time, probably before I was even born. Just to have knowledge and have a coaching staff that continuously wants me to improve every day and just wants me to work.
“It’s definitely something that we don’t really have where I’m from. So just to have that, and somebody that actually knows the game consistently, actually puts forward information and just details, is definitely something I try to take in every day.”
He’s another option at guard for the injury-riddled Hornets, who play the Los Angeles Clippers at 10:30 p.m. ET Tuesday.
The Jacksonville, Arkansas, native exploded for 17 points during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 102-95 loss to the Denver Nuggets. He made five of the six three-pointers he attempted in the final period, captivating the sold-out crowd inside Spectrum Center.
“I’m just gonna say this: It’s one game,” Clifford said afterward. “Look, I could give you stories from my 20-plus years of guys that you wouldn’t have heard of who had 28 on a night and things like that. This happens. These guys are all good. (Smith) is a younger player, and that’s his strength. He knows that; he’s got to get better at the other things so that the team functions well when he’s out on the court, he knows that.
“But he’s a shot maker. And tonight, he got going.”
Smith provides depth for the Hornets, who are currently missing starting guards LaMelo Ball (right ankle sprain) and Terry Rozier (right knee soreness). Ish Smith played 26 minutes and totaled four points, while rookie Brandon Miller exited with a right ankle injury.
The road isn’t getting any easier for Charlotte, which has lost seven straight. Tuesday’s game against the Clippers begins a six-game road trip that includes match-ups with the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and a rematch with Denver, along with dates in Sacramento and Chicago before returning home Jan. 8.
“Even on off days, coming up here getting shots up,” Smith said. “Before practice, getting shots up. After practice, getting shots up. Basically staying in a rhythm, even when I’m not playing. Just waiting for my name to be called.”
After Smith scored 21 points in his first game with the Greensboro Swarm earlier this month, Hornets prospect Amari Bailey called the former high school phenom “an ultra competitor.” The two were roommates during several tournaments growing up, and Bailey remembered Smith’s drive and desire to win.
Smith’s teammates in Uptown Charlotte notice it, too.
“Fighting for opportunities. You’re a young guy in this league, you gotta come in with that attitude,” said 25-year-old PJ Washington, who contributed 20 points Saturday. “I mean, this is his first time not being ‘the guy’ on a team. I think he’s doing a great job so far, he has a great career ahead of him and I’m just proud he’s on our team.”
