Nick Smith Jr. Q&A: 'I learned a lot playing with LeBron and Austin Reaves'

Nick Smith Jr. , the 22-year-old guard who spent last season with the Los Angeles Lakers and is currently a free agent, spoke to HoopsHype exclusively at New Balance's 2026 Beantown Elite Experience, where he worked with the campers over several days in Boston.

What was your experience like playing with the Lakers last season?

Nick Smith Jr.: I felt like it was a good experience for me just to go out there and hoop and play with the best players on the Lakers team. Playing with those types of caliber guys, you got to bring it every night. You got to play hard every night, and you just got to stay sharp. And I feel like I learned a lot playing with LeBron and Austin , especially Austin Reaves, because we played the same position and we got the same type of game. So it was a good experience.

What's the best advice you've gotten from Austin Reaves?

NSJ: My guy, AR, is always just telling me to stay patient. Just stay patient with the work. Stay patient with my career and stuff like that. Because I feel like it's a lot of players that are trying to come into this league. It's a lot of players that are trying to stay in the league. So just staying down with the work and making sure I keep my head on straight, for real. That's really about it.

How do you manage the hype and disrespect that come with being a former top recruit now fighting for your spot?

NSJ: You just come in ready to work, whatever they need you to do. When you come into the facility, you just got to put one foot in front of the other and just go to work, to be honest with you. I mean, that was just one of the things me and AR was talking about this last year, just staying patient in my career. I feel like it'll come sooner rather than later, but I just gotta keep a good level head and make sure I just take care of my business.

You probably look at him like a lot of guys do.

NSJ: Yeah, yeah, and he was a lot older than me, so.

What did you take from that 12-game win streak with the South Bay Lakers?

NSJ: Yeah, I think it was 12 or 13. It was fun playing with those guys, man. Being able to be a part of a team that I felt like it was a real brotherhood, a real camaraderie around the team. And I had a good experience playing with those guys. Those guys welcomed me into the team with open arms, and they pretty much let me be me. And I felt like it was a pretty good team. I felt like we could have gone our way if we had played, but yeah, it was a good experience playing with those guys.

What do you take from film sessions, especially with a guy like LeBron in the room?

NSJ: I mean, everybody's pretty much seen it all. I just think that the level of sharpness and the level of the adjustments players make is kind of different, especially LeBron. Like if LeBron says something, that's pretty much what goes on. Like, you know what I'm saying? And he watched pretty much every game. He's the OG of the game. So I don't know. He's just LeBron, man. You've got to be around him just to understand what he's talking about.

What was the most shocking thing you discovered when you first got to the NBA?

NSJ: I didn't know how much money NBA players make. Like, as someone that's in the league, I remember one time I looked at my check, and I'm like, "Dang, that's a pretty good check," you know what I'm saying? Then I looked at LaMelo's check, and I'm like, "Jesus Christ, boy. Golly." [Laughs] You know what I'm saying? So it's different. I mean, the work is still the same. The competitiveness is still the same. It's just basketball at the end of the day. But I'll probably just say that, for real.

What's your experience been like over the last couple of days with the kids here?

NSJ: It's been good, especially being a part of the camp with the campers. And I feel like I was here not too long ago. But just to see them compete against each other and stuff like that and interact with each other, it brings me back home, to be honest with you. And it's just a great opportunity for me to come out here and help out.

Has anything surprised or stood out to you from the campers?

NSJ: Not really. They got a lot of skill, and they were way bigger than what we were when we were kids. But it's a lot of skill out here, and they got a lot of people telling them some good things, or what they need to hear, to go to the next level and stuff like that. So, no, it's been good. I feel like it's been a good experience for them.

What stuck out to you that you never would have expected coming in?

NSJ: The facility. The facility is nice, it's done nicely. I wasn't here last year, but yeah, I mean, I'll probably be back out here for sure, just to be back in the facility.

What do you think of the P350 shoe so far?

NSJ: P350s? It's a good shoe. I'm still trying to work my way into them, I got to break them in. But it's a good shoe. I got to put some more experience in them for sure, put some more work in. It takes time for me to get into any shoe. That's just how my body is.

What drew you to New Balance during your pre-draft process?

NSJ: Yeah, I wasn't like, well, I was seeing Rich Paul wear a lot of New Balances, stuff like that. So having his whole team around, when I was going through the pre-draft, it was kind of hard not to wear New Balances because everybody around was wearing New Balances. So I kind of wanted to be a part of the new wave.