NBA Draft 2023: Top returning college prospects most likely to break out
Terquavion Smith – NC State – Combo guard – 6’4, 165 lbs – December 2002
A riser late in the 2022 draft cycle, Smith generated some high-scoring games late in the season, with a good combine to generate some first-round buzz, before ultimately returning to school.
Smith was largely inefficient, which isn’t shocking considering the huge load for the ACC bottom-feeding Wolfpack. Smith is a creative handler, using his change of speed and burst to win one-on-one matchups. He showed he can hit shots off the dribble and move and has serious range.
Smith’s “score-first” mindset made him a bit of an unwilling passer at times. He misses open reads off of the advantages he creates, and his lack of plus size sometimes makes it hard to see cutters. Smith will have to eliminate some of the bad shots and adapt to a team construct, but the shooting upside is real.
Terquavion Smith is one of the best isolation scorers returning in college basketball this season. Uses his shiftiness + handle to exploit switches and drop coverage. Needs to reign in shot selection at times and grow physically, but he's primed for a sophomore leap this year. pic.twitter.com/TUaXy0UxZv
— Brandon Simberg (@BrandonSimberg) August 1, 2022
Smith was an unheralded recruit and does not have an NBA-ready frame. But coming from a small high school, Smith likely hasn’t had the best resources to add on the needed muscle. As a late riser, there’s optimism for his physical development. He will need that added strength on defense, where he was uninspiring as a freshman. Smith’s focus is clearly on the offensive end at this stage. He’s got a +4 wingspan and good foot speed, so there’s a chance he doesn’t get killed there, but it will be an uphill battle early in his career.
The undersized two/score first combo guard has had some success in the NBA lately, with guys like Jordan Poole, Tyrese Maxey, and Bones Hyland coming to mind. Smith’s profile is most similar to that of Hyland, whose success can be attributed to his team fit with the Nuggets. Smith can work, but slotting next to a jumbo-creator that will allow him to play off the ball would be beneficial.
Given NC State’s current roster construction, I’m not sure how Smith can notably become more efficient because he will be asked to take some tough shots. The improvements I want to see are as a playmaker and rim-finisher.