2026 NBA Draft: How Braden Smith Can Beat the Odds

If Smith were to be drafted next season, he'd be the first 6-foot guard drafted since Kennedy Chandler in 2022 –– who's spent the majority of his career in the G League –– and the shortest senior guard since 2016-2017 National Player of the Year Frank Mason.

Smith put together a stellar junior season, taking home Big Ten Player of the Year honors, and earning the nod as an AP First-Team All-American.

2024-2025 Averages: 15.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 8.7 APG, 2.2 SPG, 42.8 FG%, 38.1 3P%

He was one of the nation's best playmakers, ranking second in the country in both assists per game and assist percentage. He flourished in the pick-and-roll game, partnering up with Trey Kaufman-Renn to create one of the most dynamic duos in college basketball. When Smith had the ball in his hands, it was clear that he was in firm control of the tempo, pace and flow of the game.

Smith had a silky smooth jumper, shooting 38.1 percent overall from 3-point range, but also 49.4 percent on assisted 3-pointers –– a promising sign for flexibility to play away from the ball. He's also become a craft and improved driver, raising his rim field goal percentage to 63.2 the past season, converting at an impressive rate for an undersized guard.

However, Smith could be entering the NBA at just the right moment, as there's a fellow small point guard who's had postseason success lately, and is primed to do so again in 2025-2026.

10-season NBA veteran T.J. McConnell stands at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds and is one of few traditional point guards remaining in the NBA. Last season, he played a vital role as Tyrese Haliburton's backup in the Indiana Pacers miracle postseason run.

In the playoffs, McConnell averaged 9.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4 assists and 0.8 steals per game while holding 53.7 / 42.1 / 81.5 shooting splits, including two 15-plus point performances in the NBA Finals.

McConnell's resurgence into the mainstream spotlight will likely continue next season as well, as Haliburton will miss the entire season with an Achilles tear. Having McConnell as a top guard of what should be a capable offense in the Eastern Conference would open up the avenue for Smith to rise up draft boards, as more teams see how the traditional point guard can be utilized.

McConnell may have Smith beat as a defender and rim-pressurer, but Smith is certainly a more consistent and threatening 3-point shooter, making him a bit more versatile alongside different guards.

Undersized, upperclassmen are dealt a tough hand to make the NBA, let alone succeed in it, but Smith could be next in line to break out of that box and hear his name called in the 202