As a whole, Charlotte was significantly worse with Nick Smith Jr. on the floor. His -9.3 on/off net rating is one of the ...

One of those players might be 2nd year guard Nick Smith Jr. During Wednesday night’s loss to the Raptors, the 20-year-old Smith poured in 28 points on 8/13 shooting, including 6 of 9 from ...

For one bright quarter, it looked like the Charlotte Hornets might put up a fight. But by the final buzzer, all that remained was another lopsided loss—and one career night from a promising rookie.

If Charlotte moves on from one or both of Nick Smith Jr. and Tre Mann this summer, they could select a ready-made replacement come draft day.