With the 15th overall pick of the 2023 SBNation NBA Mock Draft, the Atlanta Hawks select Nick Smith Jr. from Arkansas.
Smith arrived on the campus of Arkansas as the No. 1 high school recruit in the country. Unfortunately for him, his freshman year in Fayetteville did not quite live up to the hype. In December, a decision was made to sideline Smith indefinitely due to “right knee management,” and even after working his way back, Smith never looked like the dominant on ball guard he was expected to be at the college level.