Hornets Hive Cast: 1-on-1 with Nick Smith Junior

Hornets Hive Cast: 1-on-1 with Nick Smith Junior

Welcome to the Hornets Hive cast presented by Charlotte ey Ear Nose and Throat Associates the official I ear Nos and throat care provider of the Charlotte Hornets here’s your host Sam Farber Our Guest today Hornets rookie Nick Smith junor Nick welcome back to the Hornet Live cast appreciate it

Appreciate it appr first time we had you here in studio you had been in Charlotte for about 5 minutes it was right after Draft Day now that you’ve had some time to adjust to your new city your new life in the NBA tell me your thoughts son

Being here in the Queen City yeah man I love it here man just um just learning a lot um just being a part of you know um something that we’re trying to build on and something that we’re trying to you know um you know some somewhere we

Trying to get to and I feel like I’m a part of something that’s going uh F to happen that’s something great and uh you know I’m just happy to be a part of it it has to help having a familiar face that you get to go on this journey with

With your former aaou teammate Brandon Miller take me back to when you guys first met what were your early impressions of Brandon yeah um the first time we met um we was in uh I think it was Brad Bill like the first practice we was like 14 years old I think he was

Around like 15 16 um I was playing up and he was playing his age group which was kind of weird so we a really have like a we knew who we knew who who who we um we knew each other but we a really know each other like how we know each

Other now and um I feel like it just grew over the years and uh about time you know we was 16 17 years old we was playing together and uh we was basically with each other every day in the summer so that’s how we just build on it um and

Uh it kind of crazy we supposed to you know team up in college but we didn’t we didn’t do that and then we end up teaming in the NBA which is kind of crazy so it’s really crazy cuz College you you at least you know you have some

Control over that you get to pick where you get to go I mean not everyone does but guys as talented as you both are did have that choice the NBA you have no control over it when that realization came in on top of everything else what

Was it like knowing you were going to reunite again um well first when I got drafted by Charlotte I didn’t really I didn’t really think of it uh like that cuz it was kind of weird for me because I a I didn’t um come here to work out I

Didn’t really have an interview with him uh it was It was kind of awkward so um about the time I got to the back and started doing media um I realized like dang Brandon got picked by the uh Charlotte horns by uh number two so um

We ain’t really um it was kind of awkward when we got on the plane but uh you know it was cool when when we first landed and stuff like that you mentioned early in your aou career being on the Bradley Beal team and there have been a

Lot of videos that he’s posted over the years talking to his aaou squads about the the level of commitment the level of energy you have to bring to each and every game to make it where you want to go tell me about the impact that those early experiences had on your basketball

Career yeah um just bringing it every night um you know in this league um you know coach say it every day um in this league is it’s a hard League um you got to come out every day ready to play got to come out um not even just play hard

But even know what we doing um just defensively offensively and just knowing the game plan so we can go out there and get a win so um just to have that at an early age was uh definitely a blessing for um for me and the other guys on the

Team um just to have that competitive nature and have that um that um professional mindset just going in and practice we we ain’t play every day like we do now but just going in and practice practice and practicing hard and every time we play we play hard and you know

We know what we was doing so um that that that definitely helped me a lot you’re going to be on the same floor at some point as Bradley Bill maybe going you know head tohe head at some point in the not too distant future what what do

You look forward to about that matchup and and getting to show your appreciation for someone who was part of your journey yeah yeah um I’m I’m going love it especially um um when we get it going for real U you know when I start when I start guarding them it’s going to

Be up from there so uh yeah yeah it’s going to be up yeah for sure in addition to the the a part you had an outstanding High School career we go through your your journey here to the NBA you were National player of the year when you were starting to get all these

Accolades what were you thinking your future was going to be like your path to the NBA hopefully I mean just the same it is now um you know I’m still here I’m still learning um I’m still you know um doing what I have to do to get better

Each and every day um I’m still you know um learning a lot of things um you know pretty much nothing different nothing differently probably a different probably a different number probably but uh you know I feel like everything happens for a reason and um you know I

Feel like I’m going to get my opportunity you get to college and again it’s it’s different probably from what you thought it would be because you were high school player the year you get to college and unfort injuries hit you what were you thinking at that stage about

What it might mean for your future um I try I tried not to um when I was when I was going through the process I was trying not to think of it as much you know it was kind of hard for me not to think of it because you know basketball

Is like kind of my life and you know the draft is you know so-called the biggest thing ever and you know you want to go to certain teams and you want to um go to you know um you know what I’m saying you just want a lot of different stuff

That sometimes that don’t even matter um and I feel like some some some some players kind of get um kind of kind of get confused on the process and just learning different stuff and just um just getting a a a great opportunity for you and your family just to um just to

Provide and uh I feel like um I landed where I needed to be and um you know I feel like um God do his stuff for a reason and um you know I’m here so and I’m sure even with the injuries in college you probably felt that way as

Well because even though you weren’t able to play on the court and get that on the job training so to speak you did get to learn under a former NBA head coach in Eric muscleman who’s got a very unique approach I’ve seen his college practices quite a few times he he is he

Is one of one um very very special coach there but you got to learn under him learn with other NBA players despite all the injuries and the frustrations that must have brought what positives were there from getting to learn under him even though you couldn’t be on the court

Well one um mus is probably the craziest coach I ever played with ever like ever U but you know he prepared us um mentally and physically I feel like he prepared us for um the bigger Road um I feel like don’t didn’t nobody practice practice as hard as we did

Um yeah just the way how he just ran ran stuff and just the way how you know he do stuff I feel like prepared us for for this game and um you know once I came once I got drafted once I got in the organization we start playing you know I

Seen a lot of stuff that he taught me and a lot of and a lot of other players that was on the team um a lot of different stuff a lot of different schemes that you know still works to this day so um yeah I mean you know it

Was it was a lot of stuff going on last year I ain’t really get to play for real so we Ain really get to have a really like a magic you know the magic moment um that everybody wanted and that that I wanted but uh you know it was it was

Good for me um I feel like you know I learned a lot that year for sure he’s clearly a good teacher at your current guy butach made it here to the NBA another one of your teammates I want to ask you about and it feels odd to ask it this

Way because we all look at lamelo and think he’s so young I mean he’s early in his career but you and your class are kind of the first ones where you’re a high school generation different from lamelo you actually had a chance to maybe look up to lamelo so what were

Your early Impressions before you get to high school when you first started hearing of lamelo Bal was he someone that you looked up to and emulated as you were coming up in the game well I didn’t I didn’t really look up to lamelo I looked up to zo his big brother um

Just the way how he played the game um just the way how he he might have 15 points but we going to have like six steals 12 rebounds and like 12 assists U that’s just some something I I looked up to and just the way how he carried

Himself like in the media and stuff like that uh so yeah I knew I we definitely knew about lamelo you know how Wild he was you know um but uh it’s just it’s just crazy to see how grown up he is now um he older than me but like just the

You know he always been in the media so um it’s just it’s just funny how to see how how grown up he is uh and uh it’s cool to be around for sure time definitely flies going to make us feel older and older here as we go through

These things uh one more thing I wanted to talk to you about and that is something we talked about the first time you were here in studio when we had you in we asked you day after Draft Day about your first bucket what you thought was going to happen so here’s what you

Said you thought would be your first in NBA points first NBA points I’m not sure cuz I feel like I can score on all five levels yeah floaters threes pull-ups get to the Rim Yeah I mean I’m deep from shoot from deep I mean I mean I don’t

Know man I just I’m not going to try to rush it I’m not going to try to you know do too much on it man I’m just going to play my game and you know I know I know for a fact I’m going to score I’m going

To score at some point this year but you know I’m pretty confident that’s I’m not I’m pretty sure I’m going to score on one of these games but not really just expecting too much know just coming in learning like I said coming in learning about the game and just trying to grow I

Can’t tell were you being humble there or you you were actually just you know maybe it might take me a couple of months to get in the game or what were you thinking I I honestly didn’t know how I was going to get my first bucket

But you know when I first got it I knew for a fact it was it was it was going to be good so yeah well it took less than 10 games here’s what it sounded like your first NBA points Nick Smith Jun goes right into attack mode and Fresh

Off the Bench first shot in the NBA he sinks it how about that he doesn’t need any time to get warmed up Nick Smith Jr comes in scoring first shot of the game what did that moment feel like to you what did it mean for you I didn’t really

Feel anything I was just trying to play basketball to be honest with you um you know obviously I think we was getting blown out so you know coach threw me in there um I just tried to stay ready and uh you know I seen we ran a play and I

Seen her open and I shot the floater and I made it so yeah I ain’t really think of nothing of it until um after the game I’m mom and my dad was congratulating me and stuff like that so I feel as when it first hit but you know I just went on to

The next game like nothing happened for real you’re a guy who’s willing to show his emotions I remember you on draft day when it hit when that realization came you haven’t just made it you’ve scored in an NBA game no one can ever take that away from you yeah facts what’ you think

Of then uh I mean it was probably more my mom just cuz my dad’s my dad ain’t really really surprised you know he was you know he’s going to be him but uh I don’t know I feel like we all seen it I mean we all seen it coming we a really

Think too much of it they just said you know um congratulations on your first bucket you know it’s only 450 of us so U that’s a big accomplishment I’m the first person from my city to even score NBA bucket so um yeah but we got plenty

More buckets to go yeah want to close this out in a similar question if you had to project predict your signature moment of your rookie season however that is an individual accomplishment team accomplishment what do you think it’ll be so I can play it back to you

Next year and find out if you were right signature moment I don’t know if I could just give you a signature moment I don’t know um I just try to play the game as hard as I can try to go get a win um you know

For my teammates so uh I don’t know we’ll see it’s hopefully it’s some some something special for sure well next time we have you in here next season I’ll see if I can come up with something we’ll find out if you agree if that was your signature moment but we’ve had a

Lot of fun covering you already good luck the rest of your rookie season thanks for joining us here on the Hornets livecast appreciate it appreciate it that does it for this edition of The Hornet livecast remember the hhc is available daily wherever you get your podcast all throughout the NBA

Season with game previews every game Day reviews every day after and in-depth interviews everywhere in between I’m Sam Farber it’s been a pleasure and a privilege having you along and we’ll talk to you next time right here on the hornet hicast thank you for listening to

The Hornets Hive cast brought to you by senta the official Eye Ear Nose and Throat care provider of the Charlotte Hornets for more coverage visit hornets.com

Hornets Rookie Nick Smith Jr. joined Sam Farber to discuss his rookie season so far, his journey to the league, and shared what he was thinking during and after his first NBA basket.

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