If the Charlotte Hornets are going to rebuild their franchise and become a playoff contender again, they will need a lot of young and robust talent on their roster.
They have someone special with Nick Smith Jr. and want to keep working with him.
That was made clear on Wednesday morning when Michael Scotto reported the Hornets plan to exercise Smith’s third-year team option worth $2.71 million for the 2025-26 season.
Smith averaged 5.9 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in his rookie season last year and led his class from the three-point range with a 43.2% three-point percentage.
The Charlotte Hornets plan to exercise Nick Smith Jr’s third-year team option worth $2.71 million for the 2025-26 season, league sources told @hoopshype. The 20-year-old guard shot 43.2% from 3-point range last season, which led all rookies in his class. pic.twitter.com/y6Pr0ocN0Y
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) October 30, 2024
Smith has natural talent and could do much for the Hornets but fans shouldn’t expect to see a lot of him in 2024-25.
That’s actually good news for the Hornets because they might not call on Smith because they have a decent amount of guard options.
Instead of bringing Smith on the court often, they will probably use him as a reserve player.
Unsurprisingly, he hasn’t played in a game for Charlotte yet in 2024-25 even though they plan to exercise his option and keep him around.
Fans might take issue with that because they feel now is the time for all of the young players to get more time in games.
They think the coaching staff should let certain players get experience now at the beginning of the season in case they are needed later because of injury issues or so starters can get rest.
Since coming into the league last season, Smith has shown he has a lot of fire in his belly and a desire to play hard.
The Hornets are committing to him but they won’t be using him a lot in the near future.
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