2023 NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Victor Wembanyama makes surprise team happy

Kevin Porter Jr. brings compelling talent to the point guard position, but I’m still not convinced it will amount to winning basketball in the future. And thus, Houston takes the best player available: another guard, Nick Smith Jr., to develop in tandem with Jalen Green on the perimeter.

And what a fit that would be. Smith and Green form a symbiotic pair on paper, each one elevating the other by collapsing the defense and setting the offense in motion. Smith needs to get more consistent from 3-point range, but there are positive indicators aplenty on that front. He displays insane touch around the basket and he should have no trouble shooting a high percentage on a variety of shot types at the next level.

Stylistically and aesthetically, Smith is a great counter to Green. The latter is the butcher’s knife, slicing through the defense quick and clean with an explosive first step. Smith offers more of a serrated edge: he doesn’t have the same quick-twitch athleticism, but he changes speeds on a dime and can rip the defense apart with creative dribble moves and counter moves.

We haven’t seen much of Smith yet at Arkansas because of injury, but the early signs are positive. He’s one of the most bankable offensive playmakers in the draft, with more than enough skill and craft to quell concerns about his lack of explosiveness.