The father of Louisville guard Russ Smith has said that his son will be entering the NBA Draft.Even though Smith was the Cardinals leading scorer, he did not have an impressive showing in the National Championship game. But Russ Sr. insists that his son has "done it all", according to CBS Sports.
By that, he's saying that he's won a national title, back-to-back Big East tournament titles and back-to-back Final Fours. So according to dad, he's accomplished all he can in the college and should play his trade in the NBA.
I beg to differ with him. I'm no scout, but neither is Russ Sr., so that makes none of us an authority as to whether he should go pro or stay in school.
Smith is a good perimeter defender but is small at 6-feet and 160 pounds. He would have to play point guard, but he puts up too many shots. I don't think that style would do well in the NBA. According to DraftExpress.com, Smith is considered a second round pick (34th overall).
On the flip side, I understand what his father is saying. In my opinion, Smith's game has plateaued and his stock probably won't be higher than what it is now. Why come back to have scouts find every flaw in your game for another year? Also, it's a pretty weak draft so there could be a chance that Smith has some impressive workouts and moves into the first round.
I just think Smith's game just isn't suited for the NBA, since I see him as an undersized two guard. I could be wrong and maybe he carves out a nice career for himself, which I would like to see. But there have been plenty of good college players that just couldn't cut it in the NBA.
