The Charlotte Hornets stood pat at the 27th overall pick and used the selection to take guard Nick Smith Jr. out of Arkansas.

Smith was a consensus top three recruit coming out of high school before committing to Arkansas. He got hurt early in the season, but instead of shutting it down, he struggled through an up and down season upon his return to the lineup. The decision probably hurt his draft stock, but it does say a lot about his competitiveness and commitment.

Smith is a smooth ball handler with the ability to shoot both on the catch and on the dribble. He’s a good play maker and has terrific size for a point guard. He should be able to slide in as point guard depth, which the Hornets have long needed. He’s a good foil to Dennis Smith Jr. given his offensive prowess. His potential is probably higher than players typically taken at this spot given his high school pedigree assuming he’s able to get over the knee ailments that limited him during his lone season at Arkansas.

A little fun fact–Smith and the Hornets other first round pick Brandon Miller were AAU teammates with Bradley Beal Elite in St Louis. They’ll be reunited in Charlotte.

So let’s check out some highlights to get us excited.