Jazz Urged to Draft Sleeper Arkansas Guard at Pick 9

Nick Smith could be a sleeper pick for the Utah Jazz at No. 9.

The projections of what player the Utah Jazz will take with the No. 9 overall selection have been all over the map, with just two weeks until draft day. The latest comes from Yahoo Sports' NBA draft analyst Krysten Peek, who thinks Utah should take Arkansas’ Nick Smith with their first pick. 

Peek shared her opinion on ESPN 700's The Bill Riley Show.

“I like Nick [Smith] — and I know I have a lot of you Jazz fans, they might be telling me how wrong I am. But listen — Nick was coming in the college season the No. 1 college prospect on a lot of people’s radar. He was the best player at McDonald's All-American. A lot of NBA teams were super high on him. You turn to the pre draft process — he’s with Clutch Sports and he had a terrific pro day. Probably one of the best. He shot the ball very well. He showed off an improved motor — obviously feeling better with that knee and look, I know or I think within that lottery spot that they’re hoping to target a primary ball handler and why not Nick Smith? I mean he looked good — he looks the part.”

Smith is a prospect that hasn’t been talked about too much due to a somewhat disappointing season at Arkansas. However, Peek is correct about Smith’s projected draft stock last year at this time. 

Smith was a top-five-projected pick in all the mock drafts just one year ago and has a skill set that was drawing comparisons to ex-Jazzman Donovan Mitchell. Smith participated in 17 games in his only year with the Razorbacks, averaging 12.7 points and 1.7 assists per game. Although the sample size is small, there’s a lot to love about the future lottery pick.

Standing 6-foot-4, paired with a 6-foot-9 wingspan, Smith can play point or be the shooting guard. Equipped with an NBA-ready jump shot and defensive versatility that can guard multiple positions, there should be a path to contribute in year one, provided the knee is 100%.

With the possibility of losing Jordan Clarkson and Talen Horton-Tucker to free agency, the Jazz could use another primary ball handler moving forward. Smith could be developed to play the point guard position or fill Clarkson’s role primarily as a scorer. 

Smith isn’t a name that’s been grabbing the headlines, but with the high ceiling he brings to the table, there’s potentially a sleeper there for the taking on draft day. Also, with Anthony Black now being projected to be selected before No. 9, it could come down to Smith or Kentucky’s Cason Wallace if Utah decides to draft a guard over a forward. 

Jazz fans will get closure on the matter with the draft on June 22.

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