Terquavion Smith rising up NBA mock drafts
Tuesday evening saw the NBA hold its annual draft lottery, with the Orlando Magic emerging with the first overall pick. NC State freshman guard Terquavion Smith will not be in the mix for the top selection, but mock drafts indicate that he has a real chance of hearing his name called in the first round.
One of the latest examples comes from Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo, who released his updated mock draft in the aftermath of the lottery. Woo has Smith being chosen by the Golden State Warriors with the 28th overall selection in round one.
“After an impressive shot-making season, Smith has gone from off the radar to potential first-round pick, although he has work to do in the predraft process to solidify that status,” Woo wrote. “He’s gifted at both creating shots and shooting from distance, and teams are eager to learn more about him, based on his unique trajectory. He can still return to college, where he’d be due for a star turn, but there may be enough interest for Smith to turn pro now. He needs to get much stronger before seriously contributing, but would fit well on a playoff team that wouldn’t need to rush his development. He’s a prospect to track this week at the combine, with some buzz that’s gradually built around the league.”
NC State redshirt sophomore wing Dereon Seabron was not on Woo’s mock draft. Both Smith and Seabron have entered the NBA Draft but are maintaining their collegiate eligibility.
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has Smith going five spots higher than Woo at No. 24 to the Milwaukee Bucks. Like Woo, Vecenie updated his mock draft after the lottery.
“A big riser up the board,” Vecenie noted. “Smith had a terrific season offensively with the Wolfpack as a freshman, averaging 18.3 points per game in ACC play and shooting 40.1 percent from 3 on a ridiculous nine attempts per game. He’s an awesome shot maker that creates them off the bounce and has real suddenness to his game off the bounce. He doesn’t finish well on drives, and the less said about his defense, the better.”
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ESPN’s Jonathan Givony did not have Smith in the first round, but Smith was not far from it in Givony’s updated mock draft. Givony had Smith going off the board with the third pick of the second round to the Toronto Raptors.
Seabron was not featured in either of Vecenie or Givony’s respective mock drafts.
Terquavion Smith’s big freshman season
Smith averaged 16.3 points per game and set a school record for most threes made by a freshman with 96. That was also the third most made in a season overall for a NC State player, trailing the 104 that Scott Wood made in 2013 and Rodney Monroe had in 1991.
Smith shot 36.9 percent overall from long range, and he was NC State’s leading scorer in ACC games at 18.3 points. He shot 40.1 percent on three-pointers in league action (73 of 182).
Smith’s overall scoring average is technically the second highest by a freshman in school history behind Brandon Costner’s 16.8 in 2007. Dennis Smith Jr. had his average of 18.1 points in 2017 taken off the record books by the recent NCAA IARP ruling.
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