3 players the Hornets need to develop, and 2 they should give up on

Nick Smith Jr.

Despite his rookie status, there’s no guarantee the Hornets find much room for the lanky guard in their rotation. But it would be a mistake to squeeze him out entirely.

Smith Jr. was a highly-touted high school recruit who suffered a series of injuries in college, limiting his chances to play high-level basketball. In high school, Smith was a scoring machine who could also pass, rebound, and defend — a well-rounded combo guard with the size to guard either backcourt position and enough playmaking to start or finish plays.

An uneven Summer League mixed highs (a 33-point explosion) with lows (general ineffectiveness getting to and finishing at the rim), but his profile, no matter how fuzzy, is promising. Smith is still raw, but he’s shown some passing ability, and his defensive effort in Summer League was promising. It’s easy to envision him running next to LaMelo, draining catch-and-shoot jumpers while providing a secondary playmaking presence.

But context matters. Terry Rozier is still the unquestioned starter next to Ball, and Cody Martin and James Bouknight (more on him shortly) will likely soak up most of the backup minutes at shooting guard. Smith likely isn’t quite ready to run point guard yet, so he’ll spend a lot of time in Greensboro with the Swarm.

But the Hornets need to move on from Bouknight, and Martin might make more sense at the three. If Smith shines in the G-League, he’ll be given a chance to make an impact with the varsity squad.

He’ll need to get stronger, which will help him defend and score in the paint. And the jumper will have to fall. But Rozier’s contract is only partially guaranteed in 2025-2026, and the Hornets would love to know what they have in Smith by then.