Charlotte Hornets guard Nick Smith Jr. (back) will return from a one-game absence Monday against the Brooklyn Nets. Back tightness kept Smith Jr. out from Sunday's battle against the Detroit Pistons, but he is good to go again after Charlotte upgraded his status from questionable to available. Smith Jr. has been sneaky good lately, averaging 21.3 points for the month. However, most of his recent outings have come without LaMelo Ball (ankle), who is back in the lineup on Monday. Smith Jr's production may suffer because of his presence.
Charlotte Hornets guard Nick Smith Jr. is battling a groin injury. He missed Sunday's preseason opener against the Knicks and will be re-evaluated in one week. This means Smith Jr. will have to sit out at least two more preseason games. Charlotte faces Miami on Tuesday and Memphis on Thursday. After going off the board as the 27th pick in the 2023 draft, Smith Jr. had his debut campaign in 2023-24. He averaged 5.9 points across 14.3 minutes in 51 outings. However, Smith Jr. was a 20-point scorer in the G League while averaging 5.5 assists, showing that he has the ability to make noise in the right circumstances.
Nick Smith Jr. Goes Off For 33 Points In Close Loss
Charlotte Hornets guard Nick Smith Jr. exploded for 33 points on 13-of-20 shooting from the floor with four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block in Tuesday's tight 97-93 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. The 19-year-old turned the rock over six times, but nailed 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe. Smith filled up the scoring column in this one, flashing the type of spark-plug tendencies Charlotte may have envisioned when making him the draft's 27th-overall pick. The combo guard is set to back up LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier on the razor-thin Hornets depth chart, but could push for a significant sixth-man role this year. Though, Smith is likely to have many ups and downs and constitutes more of a points-league dart throw in upcoming fantasy drafts.
Nick Smith Jr.
• PG
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Hornets
