Two years after the Charlotte Hornets drafted Nick Smith Jr. with the 27th overall pick, they have decided to part ways with him, which is a bit unsurprising if you think about it. One might wonder that maybe being a first-round selection should have afforded him more time to prove his worth, but that didn't turn out to be the case this time. Will Liam McNeeley suffer the same fate?
As many know, the Hornets were able to secure a late first-round pick in this year's draft, thanks to the Mark Williams trade with the Phoenix Suns. Instead of drafting for fit, they opted to scoop up McNeeley, who some pundits had thought would be a lottery selection.
However, the University of Connecticut product has found himself in a crowded backcourt and wing rotation. He would need to stand out in practice and during games to earn a prominent spot in the rotation.
In McNeeley's defense, he has enough talent to be considered a dark-horse candidate for the Rookie of the Year plum. But with plenty of competition for minutes, including Brandon Miller, Collin Sexton, Tre Mann, Kon Knueppel, and Josh Green, his likely route to start his professional career is through G League assignments.
If that sounds familiar, that's because Smith Jr. had to spend a lot of time in the G League. Of course, the difference is that the Hornets' shooting guard/small forward depth in the previous two years was not as remarkable as it appears to be now.
Still, a few of the similarities in what they had to go through are just too uncanny. For instance, both were consensus five-star recruits entering college but did not get the chance to boost their stock before declaring for the NBA draft. Smith Jr. was often injured during his lone season with the University of Arkansas, while McNeeley never got comfortable as a primary playmaker for the Huskies. Their underwhelming performances in college may have resulted in their fall in their respective drafts.
Liam McNeeley is in a better position to succeed than Nick Smith Jr.
Unfortunately for Smith Jr., he was unable to outperform his draft position of 27th. It's not that he was not given enough chances, though, as the Hornets' bouts with injuries to key players provided him with ample opportunities to crack the regular rotation. He could not capitalize on them, proving to be too inefficient in scoring and being a liability on defense.
It's highly likely that McNeeley can avoid a similar ending to his tenure in Charlotte. He projects to be a lights-out shooter and an all-around wing player for the Hornets, and his size could encourage their coaching staff to experiment with him at power forward in small-ball lineups.
The rookie might just have to bide his time and should look to make the most out of it when he is put on the floor if he wants to stay with the Hornets for a long while.