Arkansas' Nick Smith Jr. Declares for 2023 NBA Draft; Ranked No. 12 on B/R Big Board

Despite an injury-plagued freshman season at Arkansas, Nick Smith Jr. is ready to turn pro.

Smith announced on Twitter he is declaring for the 2023 NBA draft:

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman has the 18-year-old ranked as the No. 12 overall prospect in this year's class.

Smith's commitment to Arkansas in September 2021 felt like it was going to be a significant moment for head coach Eric Musselman.

The 6'4" shooting guard was the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class, per 247Sports. He was one of three 5-star players the Razorbacks landed en route to having the second-best recruiting class in the country, trailing only Duke.

Despite starting the season ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and getting up to ninth on Dec. 26, things didn't come together for most of the season, which ended with a 22-14 record.

The NCAA tournament did provide a glimpse of what the peak version of the Razorbacks might have looked like with better injury luck. They were the No. 8 seed in the West and defeated No. 1 Kansas in the second round before losing to Connecticut in the Sweet 16.

Smith missed almost two months in the middle of the season due to a knee injury and never really settled into a groove after returning on Feb. 11. There was a stretch in late February when he looked like the top prospect in the nation, putting up at least 24 points three times in four games, but he only scored 47 total points in five games after that.

Wasserman noted the concerns about Smith coming into the NBA are his reliance on "tough shot-making while offering minimal playmaking." He made just 39.7 percent of his field-goal attempts in 17 games this season.

Considering the hype around Smith as a high school prospect and the fact he will likely play his entire rookie season as a 19-year-old, it's not hard to see teams being excited about his ceiling as a scorer in the NBA at full strength and with professional coaching.