2023 NBA Mock Draft 5.0: Pistons face difficult choice at No. 2

Injuries kept Nick Smith Jr. out of the lineup for a large chunk of the season at Arkansas, but what we have seen is enough to keep him in the top 10. Orlando has one of the strongest young cores in the NBA, complete with talent at virtually every position. That said, one area of perceived weakness is still the backcourt.

Both Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony are NBA players. Fultz has been great down the stretch of this season, setting the table for an offense built around the flexible skill sets of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. But, Fultz’s ceiling is unavoidably limited if he’s such a low-volume threat from deep.

Smith is the ideal fit, as he is quite flexible in his own right. A talented shot-maker who can thrive on or off the ball, he would be able to fit with various different personnel groups. His 3-point shooting has been more erratic than one might like, but Smith’s feather-soft touch inside the arc is a strong indicator of future shooting success. He’s the king of floaters and touch shots, torching defenders with gear shifts and speed changes before floating high-arcing shots right over top. If he can get better at embracing contact and getting all the way to the rim, Smith has All-Star combo guard potential.

He’s a plus defender too. At 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan, Smith would be right at home with Orlando’s collection of long-armed youngsters. He competes hard on both ends and has no shortage of competitive spirit.