Nick Smith Jr. makes his case for extended playing time with impressive performance against East leading Cavaliers

Charlotte's guard rotation received a spark on Sunday.

Matt Alquiza | Jan 6, 2025

Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

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Charlotte Hornets

Bright spots have been hard to find in the morass that has been the Charlotte Hornets' 2024-25 season. A drab gloominess has overtaken a once promising campaign that was supposed to feature LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller's full bloom into one of the Eastern Conference's premier back court duos.

In reality, the 2024-25 season has been another disappointing one in a seemingly never-ending run of them in the Queen City. Yes, bright spots have been hard to come by for the Hornets, but a glimmer of hope in the ever-present drear peeked through in last night's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Nick Smith Jr. makes his case for a spot in the rotation

The Charlotte Hornets guard rotation changes nightly. LaMelo Ball is the unquestioned leader of the group with Tre Mann pegged as his second in command, but the pair's persistent ailments have opened up the door for Vasilije Micic, KJ Simpson, Isaiah Wong, Seth Curry, and Nick Smith Jr. to soak up minutes in Charles Lee's back court.

Most of that group consists of younger prospects looking to establish themselves in the NBA, and one of them, Nick Smith Jr., made a loud statement with his play on Sunday night.

In a season-high 19 minutes of action, Smith Jr. poured in 18 points on a 7-12 shooting performance that included four three point makes on six attempts. His slick array of crossovers and smooth jumpers carried Charlotte's listless offense for stretches against the Eastern Conference leading Cleveland Cavaliers.

Charles Lee beamed with pride when talking about the second-year guard following the loss.

🎙️ Charles Lee on Nick Smith Jr: "He took full advantage of his opportunity to play today; he did a great job."

"It's a testament to Nick continuing to put in the work. Our Greensboro staff, he got some really high-quality games there, and they worked on the things we needed him… pic.twitter.com/uCcGRXTt5w
— /r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) January 6, 2025

"He took full advantage of his opportunity to play today. I thought he did a great job...Today he came out and hooped and balled and gave us the lift that we needed."

The Hornets relationship with the Greensboro Swarm has paid massive dividends in 2024-25. Smith Jr., Wong, Simpson, and Moussa Diabate have all traveled up and down I-85 between the two squads, and whenever they return from Greensboro to Charlotte, their games feature noticable improvements.

Nick Smith Jr. spoke at length about his time in Greensboro in the locker room last night.

🎙️ Nick Smith Jr on his stint with the Greensboro Swarm:

"It definitely helped me out a lot. Coach DJ, the Head Coach up there, believes in me 1000%. I gelled with the team as soon as I got there; the teammates, the performance staff, everybody was good to me." pic.twitter.com/WXvnfw6APp
— /r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) January 6, 2025

Charles Lee and his coaching staff are desperately searching for answers on the perimeter. Charlotte's season-long offensive rating is only ahead of the lowly Washington Wizards, and in the Hornets last ten games, all losses, their offense is the worst in basketball.

Smith Jr. provided a spark on Sunday, and by doing so, made his case for more minutes in Lee's rotation. His spark plug scoring ability runs hot and cold, but the combination of his age (20), Vasilije Micic's trade potential, Tre Mann's injury, and Charlotte's need for bucket-getters could see him earn an expanded role with the Hornets as the season continues.