SPORTS

Speedy Smith continues NBA Draft prep as sleeper

Sean Isabella
sisabella@thenewsstar.com
Former Louisiana Tech point guard Speedy Smith is using this week’s NBA Draft Combine omission is more motivation.

For a player who has faced an uphill battle his entire career, Speedy Smith's omission at this week's NBA Draft Combine in Chicago is nothing new.

It could wind up helping him in the long run.

Smith is still recovering from the Grade 2 ankle sprain he suffered this past March in a season-ending loss to Temple.

The former Louisiana Tech point guard said he's around "74 percent" as he continues to rehab in Florida and hopes to be near full strength when the NBA Draft rolls around in June.

But his injury isn't why he wasn't among the 62 players invited to Chicago for the combine, which runs Tuesday through Sunday.

"I just didn't get an invite. I thought I was going to get an invite, but I guess people don't want to see me," Smith said. "It's nothing but motivation for me."

Any exposure is beneficial to Smith, but working out in front of 30 NBA teams on a bum ankle isn't exactly an ideal way to get noticed.

And it's not like Smith needs any added motivation — he received only one Division I offer out of high school before leading Division I in assists in 2015 — but this is another way to prove himself.

"I'm just going to have to hurt somebody," said Smith, who has been given a second round/undrafted tag by most draft sites. "The draft is going to hurt a lot of feelings. It might hurt mine, but I know it's going to hurt someone else's for sure."

Smith said his ankle is slowly healing and he's still having soreness in his Achilles and in the tendon on top of the ankle.

"It's just nagging, nagging," he said. "If we had to play a game, I could play. I would probably look 85 (percent) out there. I know what I'm capable of. I have a long way to go."

While Smith might not have many in his corner, he did receive another boost from his former coach Michael White on Monday during White's introductory press conference at Florida.

"In the last four years, I've had a special point guard in Speedy Smith," White said. "I hope he's watching. I owe him a lot of things. He was an incredible player, an incredible leader for us. He's a guy that I think should be drafted next month. It's not up to me, but I think he can play in the NBA."

Smith, who ended his career as Tech's all-time leader in assists and steals, will get his time later this month and in early June when he's scheduled to work out for a few undisclosed teams.

"I'm a sleeper. I don't mind it at all. I like it," he said. "Each work out I go into they're going to see what I'm capable of."

Until then, he's focused on increasing his activity level.

Smith began his rehab in Ruston with Tech trainer Justin Wheeler in early April and has carried that over to his time in Florida.

He is almost seven weeks removed from an injury that left him in a walking boot for several weeks.

Smith might not be at 100 percent for his workouts, but he plans to show teams the intangibles that helped him win the Conference USA Player of the Year in 2015.

"I can still play some defense and I can still run the offense and I can still show leadership and still be vocal," Smith said. "I think all my things are going to have to speak much higher with this."

Connect with Sean Isabella on Twitter at ST_IsabellaTNS