Swarm and Sting
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Charlotte Hornets: Was Miles Bridges the right pick?

By Noah Driver

CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 14: Michigan State Spartans guard Miles Bridges (22) dribbles the ball during the State Farm Classic Champions Classic game between the Duke Blue Devils and the Michigan State Spartans on November 14, 2017, at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 14: Michigan State Spartans guard Miles Bridges (22) dribbles the ball during the State Farm Classic Champions Classic game between the Duke Blue Devils and the Michigan State Spartans on November 14, 2017, at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 14: Zhaire Smith #8 of the Philadelphia 76ers handles the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 14, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 14: Zhaire Smith #8 of the Philadelphia 76ers handles the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 14, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Zhaire Smith (#16)

The good:

-Smith is probably going to be one of the three to five most athletic guys in the league on his first day in the NBA. He’s a Vince Carter or Dominique Wilkins level athlete. Probably a one-of-a-kind player in this regard.

-He has every chance to be Andre Roberson with a better jump-shot. He is a potential lock-down wing defender.

-A really strong rebounder for his size.

-Advanced stats darling: his box plus/minus, PER, and offensive and defensive ratings would make you think he’s destined to be a really, really good player wherever he goes. FiveThirtyEight is a big fan, being much higher on him than Bridges.

The bad:

-His playmaking, shot-creating, and ball-handling are all just OK. It is unlikely a player with his lack of offensive skills will ever be able to take over a game (just 11.2 PPG as a freshman).

-He kind of “is who he is” in many ways. His summer league performance reinforced that. It’s incredibly hard to develop into a high-level NBA scorer if you are not a high-level college scorer.

-He doesn’t really shoot 3’s (1.1 3PA per game as a freshman). I see a lot of scouts say that he is a good shooter or a theoretical shooter, but I don’t really know why they say that.

-Smith’s ceiling is as an elite role player. You could say the same about 97% of guys in the league. The other guys on this list could be more than that. I don’t see a path for Smith.

Was Bridges the right pick? Yes, but Smith is still about as close to a sure thing as it gets. He is going to be a good-to-great 3-and-D guy in the NBA for the next 10-12 years. Bridges has the upside of elite scoring, though, which makes him a much better choice for this team.

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