With less than a month until the 2022 NBA Draft, teams are starting to lock in on their favorites and get their big boards in order. Most of the early entrants into the draft that remain at this point are committed to staying in through the entire process, but on Tuesday morning, word emerged of one notable process backing out of the draft and announcing his intentions to return to the college ranks.
Terquavion Smith, a guard out of NC State, had vaulted up boards to be a projected first rounder for many, but has decided to return to Raleigh for his sophomore season, telling ESPN’s Jonathan Givony that he wants another year as a college student.
“I have to be honest and admit money has never been at the center of my thoughts,” he said. “My agent explained to me that teams as high as the late teens, through the rest of the first round, all have me ranked as a first-round talent. It’s exciting to hear that. But I told him I have more work to do. I like school and my college in particular. Remember, my last two years have been so strange, thanks to the pandemic. I just want one more season to get everything right and just be a college student.”
It’s not often that a projected first rounder returns to school, but there are some recent instances where a late first rounder has maneuvered himself into lottery contention with a strong sophomore season at the collegiate ranks. One would expect Smith will also be landing some NIL money that, while he insists money’s not at the center of his thoughts, will probably mitigate some of what he’s missing out on in terms of NBA earnings this coming season.
This is obviously great news for the Wolfpack as they look to bounce back from a tough 2021-22 season, while NBA teams enamored with Smith will have to shuffle their big boards now that he’s no longer an option.