Scottie Bordelon is a reporter for the Hawgs Sports Network. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Arkansas and previously covered high school sports for the Times Record in Fort Smith and the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He was the 2022 Arkansas Sportswriter of the Year.
Nick Smith declares for NBA Draft


Arkansas guard Nick Smith Jr. (3) shoots, Thursday, March 16, 2023 during the first half of the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship First Round game at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. Visit nwaonline.com/photos for the photo gallery.
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas freshman guard Nick Smith has declared for the 2023 NBA Draft.
A native of Jacksonville and a former standout at North Little Rock High School, Smith made the announcement Thursday in a post to his Twitter account. He is the first Razorback to put his name in this year’s draft.
“This year has been an incredible journey, and I am grateful for all the love and support I have received from my hometown and all the hog fans,” Smith wrote. “I want to express my gratitude to [Coach Eric Musselman] and the entire coaching staff, who believed in my abilities and allowed me the chance to play for Arkansas.”
A projected top-five pick prior to the 2022-23 season, Smith’s lone season at Arkansas was marred by a knee injury that forced him to miss 19 games. He did not play in the first 6 games, played the following 5, then missed 13 more before re-joining the team Feb. 11.
Smith averaged 12.4 points on 37.2% shooting and 35.3% from three-point range, and 1.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.9 steals in the final 12 games of the season.
For the season, he put up 12.5 points on 37.6% shooting and 33.8% beyond the arc.
The 6-5 guard scored 20-plus points in 5 games, including 26 against Georgia, 25 vs. Kentucky and 24 at Alabama.
In December, he had 21 points against Oklahoma in Arkansas’ win in Tulsa.
Smith averaged 5.7 points on 26.1% shooting during the Razorbacks’ NCAA Tournament games against Illinois, Kansas and Connecticut.
He scored 11 points in the season-ending loss against UConn, which followed a scoreless outing in the team’s second-round win over Kansas, the No. 1 seed in the Razorbacks' region.
“[I learned about] timing, knowing how to handle situations, going about things a little differently,” Smith said in Las Vegas after the loss to UConn. “I’m just a normal 18-year-old going through life. Y’all have been 18 before and I’m pretty sure y’all know what I’m talking about.
“Pretty much just coming here and learning a whole bunch of stuff outside of basketball, man. It’s been an experience, for sure, but it’s an experience I’ll remember, for sure.”
Smith, named the top-rated high school player in the 2022 class by 247 Sports, on March 28 was projected by The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie as the No. 16 pick of the Atlanta Hawks.
“[He] proved at lower levels that he can be a terrific tough-shot maker and instant offensive creator,” Vecenie wrote. “Given his injuries, there are real, built-in excuses for why he struggled. But he has some work to do during the pre-draft process to rehabilitate his stock.
“His defensive play [in the NCAA Tournament] was consistently messy — something not all that surprising for a player who didn’t get any real time to mesh with his teammates and build cohesion.”
Bleacher Report listed Smith at No. 12 on its pre-Sweet 16 big board, and NBADraft.net projected him at No. 6 overall on March 24.
“It was a fun year for me,” Smith said. “The guys, I love these guys. It was probably one of the most [enjoyable teams] personality-wise I’ve been on individually, starting with Coach Muss. I just appreciate the time these guys gave me.
“I just appreciate the fans, I appreciate my parents and my friends and family that stuck behind me no matter what situation it was. Like I said, I get to learn from this experience.”
Discussion
Have a comment on this story? Join the discussion or start a new one on the Forums.