Nick Smith

Nick Smith

21-Year-Old GuardG
Charlotte Hornets
GTD
Injury Groin
Est. Return 10/1/2025
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Smith logged 51 appearances off the bench as a rookie in 2023-24, though he was limited to just 14.3 minutes per game, and that situation shouldn't change drastically as he approaches his sophomore year in the NBA. LaMelo Ball will be healthy and Brandon Miller will have more responsibilities as a playmaker in his second year in the league, but even if Ball isn't around, Vasilije Micic is a more-than-capable backup at the point guard role. Tre Mann might be ahead of Smith in the pecking order as well, so Smith shouldn't garner a lot of fantasy interest regardless of the format. As young and filled with potential as he is, Smith won't have enough minutes at his disposal to make an impact in a rebuilding Charlotte team. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Current Season
From Preseason
#140
ADP
Signed a two-year, $5.05 million contract with the Hornets in July of 2023. Hornets exercised $2.71 million team option for 2025-26 in October of 2024. Contract includes $4.89 million team option for 2026-27.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary

Nick Smith spent his lone collegiate season at Arkansas, where he appeared in 17 games (14 starts) and helped lead the Razorbacks to the Sweet 16. A knee injury plagued Smith throughout his freshman season, causing him to miss 19 games in total, including the entire month of January. In his first collegiate start on Dec. 3 against San Jose State, Smith posted 16 points and five assists in just 24 minutes of action. Later in the season, he went for a season-high 26 points in a win over Georgia, knocking down five three-pointers. In the Razorbacks' regular-season finale, Smith poured in 25 points to go with six assists and four steals against Kentucky. Coming out of high school, Smith was widely considered one of the top recruits in the nation. The Jacksonville, AR native was a consensus five-star recruit and was selected to both the Jordan Brand Classic and the McDonald's All-American Game. A natural scorer with excellent athleticism and length, Smith has a quick first step and a tight handle that allows him to work around defenders and create his own shot. Mechanics-wise, his jump shot looks elite, though he shot only 33.8 percent from three in a relatively limited sample (4.2 3PA/G) at Arkansas. Smith's burst and shiftiness off the dribble may be his most useful trait at the next level, where he projects as a two-guard who can also play on the ball. Smith's athleticism and long wingspan (6-foot-8) should enable him to be a decent defender at the next level, but he may need to add some weight. Even after an abbreviated season at Arkansas, Smith firmly projects as a lottery pick and carries immense upside, offensively. While he likely won't step directly into a major role, Smith should make an impact as a rookie and has the talent to develop into a borderline-star down the road - particularly if he progresses as a playmaker to complement his scoring. Smith's game shows shades of Jamal Crawford, Malik Monk and Jordan Poole.

Out for regular-season finale
GCharlotte Hornets
Groin
April 13, 2025
Smith (groin) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Celtics.
ANALYSIS
Smith won't play in the regular-season finale after suffering a groin injury in Friday's loss to Boston. The second-year guard took advantage of all the injuries in Charlotte this season, finishing the campaign with averages of 9.9 points, 2.4 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 22.8 minutes across 60 appearances (27 starts).
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Stat Review
2024
2023
How does Nick Smith compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
  • True Shooting %
    An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
  • Effective Field Goal %
    A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
  • 3-Point Attempt Rate
    Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
  • Free Throw Rate
    Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
  • Offensive Rebound %
    An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
  • Defensive Rebound %
    An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
  • Total Rebound %
    An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
  • Assist %
    An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
  • Steal %
    An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
  • Block %
    An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
  • Turnover %
    An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
  • Usage %
    An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
  • Fantasy Points Per Game
    NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
  • Fantasy Points Per Minute
    NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
50.2%
 
Effective Field Goal %
48.2%
 
3-Point Attempt Rate
53.9%
 
Free Throw Rate
8.1%
 
Offensive Rebound %
1.0%
 
Defensive Rebound %
9.1%
 
Total Rebound %
5.0%
 
Assist %
16.7%
 
Steal %
0.5%
 
Block %
0.4%
 
Turnover %
10.0%
 
Usage %
20.8%
 
Fantasy Points Per Game
15.8
 
Fantasy Points Per Minute
0.7
 
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Average Fantasy Points
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Nick Smith See More
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Nick Smith See More
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Selected with the 27th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Smith will likely serve as a backup behind LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier. He flashed some nice offensive upside during his one season at Arkansas, something the Hornets will be hoping he can replicate in his limited time on the floor. Efficiency is going to be an issue, although that is par for the course when it comes to rookie guards. He should compete with Bryce McGowens and James Bouknight for playing time, both of whom are yet to prove themselves at the NBA level. With a view to playing no more than about 12 minutes per night, Smith is not someone who warrants much attention in fantasy redraft leagues.
More Fantasy News
Iffy to play Sunday
GCharlotte Hornets
Groin
April 12, 2025
Smith (groin) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Celtics.
ANALYSIS
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Sits out second half Friday
GCharlotte Hornets
Groin
April 11, 2025
Smith (groin) did not return for the second half of Friday's 130-94 loss to the Celtics and finished with nine points (3-7 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 1-1 FT), four rebounds and four assists across 17 minutes.
ANALYSIS
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Exits with groin injury
GCharlotte Hornets
Groin
April 11, 2025
Smith is doubtful to return to Friday's game against the Celtics due to a groin injury.
ANALYSIS
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Impressive double-double
GCharlotte Hornets
April 9, 2025
Smith chipped in 28 points (8-13 FG, 6-9 3Pt, 6-6 FT), six rebounds and 10 assists across 37 minutes during Wednesday's 126-96 loss to Toronto.
ANALYSIS
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Starting vs. Toronto
GCharlotte Hornets
April 9, 2025
Smith is in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Raptors, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Hornets could move him
GCharlotte Hornets
July 3, 2025
Smith is a trade candidate to monitor, Evan Sidery of Forbes.com reports.
ANALYSIS
The Hornets revamped their guard rotation early on in the offseason, acquiring Collin Sexton and Spencer Dinwiddie while agreeing to re-sign Tre Mann. That could make Smith expendable, and it will be interesting to see if there's a market for the 21-year-old guard. During the 2024-25 regular season, Smith made 60 appearances with averages of 9.9 points, 2.4 assists and 2.1 rebounds on 39.1 percent shooting from the field.
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