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2 - Nolan Smith

6-3, 189 Point Guard/Shooting Guard
Duke Senior
Birthday
07/25/88 (35.6 yrs)
Hometown
Landover, MD
High School
Oak Hill Academy
Team Site Profile
Statistics
Athleticism
8
Size
7
Defense
8
Strength
6
Quickness
8
Leadership
8
Jump Shot
8
NBA Ready
8
Ball Handling
7
Potential
7
Passing
7
Intangibles
8

NBA Comparison: CJ Watson

Strengths: Smith was a major contributor on a Duke team coming off a National Championship … At 6’3, he has nice size and length for a point guard, and has enough overall awareness and skill to play off the ball as well … With the ball in his hands, Smith’s high basketball IQ and excellent ball security allow him to efficiently run an offense … He shows nice touch in the lane when attacking the rim, with a good feel for when to float it/take it strong and when to dish it out to the open man … He’s a capable outside shooter, but generally shoots his best when someone creates open opportunities for him … Smith’s awareness allows him to read defenses and make the right pass in a timely fashion, and despite not being a pure point guard, he’s trusted at the position with his excellent decision making and offensive efficiency … Defensively his best attributes revolve around his length, IQ and effort …

Weaknesses: Smith’s biggest obstacle at the next level will be trying to create separation between him and his defender … He lacks explosiveness, and therefore takes longer to execute his move and get by his defender… He’s not a dynamic athlete, which limits his upside considering he already struggles in the one on one game… Though he shot a very respectable 39% from downtown last season, he will need to continue improving his outside game in order to make him more of a threat offensively … Defensively he might have trouble guarding NBA 2 guards, limiting his services …

Overall:  Though he won’t turn heads with any one aspect of his game, Smith has proven to be reliable in terms sharing the playmaking and scoring responsibilities … As an NBA prospect, his maturity, leadership, high IQ and complete overall skill set should be enough to get his name called somewhere in the second round … Winning on the biggest stage for the most respected coach in college basketball will only help his draft stock …

Jonathan Wasserman – 11/20/2010

Strengths: High character combo guard with excellent athletic ability … Cerebral playmaker with strong leadership qualities … Has combo skills with the ability to run the point guard position … Explosive. Can get well above the rim for athletic finishes, attacks the basket hard … A solid perimeter shooter with an improving 3 point shot … Long arms allow him to play bigger than 6-3 … Highly unselfish. A solid ball handler and passer … Solid defensively. His ability to apply on ball pressure and play the passing lanes is a huge boost to the Duke backcourt … Fits in well with the Duke program with his team first attitude and strong decision making …

Weaknesses: Must further develop his point guard skills as he lacks the size to be a full time 2-guard on the NBA level … Body is still a bit frail, needs to add overall body strength …Could struggle some to stand out for his first few years at Duke platooning behind/alongside Greg Paulus … Runs the risk of getting lost in the shuffle in the Duke program: some players thrive while others suffocate: never fully being able to develop/display their athletic abilities with such a meticulous/mistake free offensive approach … Peaked early in his high school career to an extent: He was seen as a top 10 guy in his class early in his high school career but dipped into the top 25-50 range by his senior year … Can at times be reluctant to take over games as he has always played alongside strong talent and has become accustomed to deferring to teammates at the end of games … Must continue to develop and maintain his strong one on one abilities …

Notes: Nolan has a tattoo in tribute of his late father Derek Smith who averaged over 12 ppg over a 9 year NBA career … Played high school ball at Oak Hill Academy with Brandon Jennings and AAU ball for DC Assault alongside Michael Beasley and Austin Freeman

Aran Smith – 10/25/2007

YouTube Clip – 10/21/2010

YouTube Clip – 3/25/2007

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