2023 NBA Draft Prospect Highlights: Terquavion Smith
Overview
Terquavion Smith played two seasons at NC State and established himself as one of college basketball’s best pure scorers. He averaged 16.3 points per game as a freshman while starting 25 of his 32 appearances. As a sophomore, he was a starter and averaged 17.9 ppg, 4.1 apg and 3.6 rpg in 33.6 minutes per game while also leading the ACC in total field goal attempts (547). His best game of the season came Dec. 12 against Creighton, where he finished with a season-high 33 points while adding seven assists and five rebounds. Smith also recorded four games with at least 30 points, including the NCAA Tournament loss against Creighton. He also recorded at least 20 points 11 different times.
Analysis
Smith is a gifted scorer, but he’s inconsistent from 3-point range. Even though Smith sometimes showed an NBA-ready 3-point range, he only made 33.6% of his 3-pointers and shot 38% overall. The efficiency needs to improve, but there’s no question Smith is ready to contribute as an offensive threat at the NBA level. Smith posted a 30% usage rate as a sophomore in college and his value is mainly tied to what he can do as a sparkplug scorer. His athleticism is plus, and he showed elite agility, particularly when driving to the basket.
Projection
Smith’s potential impact at the NBA level will be determined by which team selects him. In any case, he doesn’t figure to be a starter from day one. A best-case scenario for him would be the one of Bennedict Mathurin in the 2022-23 season with the Indiana Pacers — playing as an offensive weapon off the bench. Smith has first-round potential, but he’s likely to be chosen in the second round. A reasonable comparison at the NBA level would be LA Clippers guard Bones Hyland.
— Profile by RotoWire