A disaster-level performance in the first show! The Lakers new backcourt players are far from meeting the standards of rotation players?

In the previous NBA regular season, the Portland Trail Blazers successfully defeated the Los Angeles Lakers at home 122-108. After this game, the Trail Blazers' record improved to 2 wins and 2 losses; while the Lakers' record, which ended their two-game winning streak, dropped to 2 wins and 2 losses.

In this game, the new backcourt star Nick Smith Jr., who the Lakers just signed with a two-way contract this summer, made his debut with the Lakers, but his performance in his debut was shocking. Smith played for 20 minutes and 4 seconds, shooting 1 of 5 and 0 of 2 from beyond the three-point line. He only had 2 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block. He also had 2 turnovers and 2 fouls, with a plus-minus of -13. Smith's efficiency on the offensive end is poor, his scoring ability is very limited, his shooting stability is seriously lacking, and most importantly, he clearly has no ability, but he still likes to play all kinds of blind shots on the court, which seems a bit speechless, and he also wasted a lot of opportunities. In addition, Smith's performance on the defensive end is also very unsatisfactory, and he does not have reliable defensive capabilities at all. Overall, Smith did not have very good results on both offense and defense. Instead, he caused a lot of trouble to the team, which also led to the team's passivity and eventual defeat to a certain extent.

Smith was born in April 2004. He is 21 years old, 188cm tall and weighs 84kg. He is a backcourt player from the University of Arkansas selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 27th pick in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft. In the NBA regular season last season, Smith played a total of 60 times, averaging 22.8 minutes per game. He averaged 9.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game. He also had 1.4 turnovers and 1.3 fouls. He shot 39.1% from the field, 34% from the three-point range, and 93.5% from the free throw line. In the previous NBA preseason games, Smith played a total of 6 times for the Lakers, averaging 13.5 minutes per game. He averaged 6.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 0.3 blocks per game. He also had 0.8 turnovers and 1.5 fouls. He shot 38.9% from the field, 29.4% from the three-point range, and 62.5% from the free throw line.

Due to unsatisfactory performance in the past two seasons, the Hornets also waived the former first-round pick this summer. Next, the Lakers quickly picked up the slack and signed him to a two-way contract. As a result, Smith's performance during the preseason was very unsatisfactory. He had quite a problem in offensive options, and his contribution on the defensive end was also very limited. Judging from the situation in this game, he was indeed not ready to enter the rotation, and his performance on the court was disaster-level. Next, we can also see whether Smith will continue to get so much playing time in the next games due to a serious shortage of personnel?