Featherston: Nolan Smith Makes Transition To The Point

DURHAM, N.C. ? There's a big difference between playing point guard and actually being a point guard.

Nolan Smith, the sophomore guard who starts at the point for Duke this season, is still in the process of maturing into a real point guard.

“I feel like I'm very far away,” Smith said recently. “I've made a big jump from last year, but I know there is a lot of things I can do better -- a lot of plays I can make that I'm not making right now.”

The exciting thing about Smith's sophomore season is that his improvement is so obvious. A year ago, he displayed a lot of potential as a substitute for starter Greg Paulus. As a freshman, Smith played an average of 14.7 minutes a game and contributed 5.9 points and 1.3 assists.

So far this season (going into the Christmas break), Smith is starting ahead of Paulus and has upped his minutes to more than 22 a game. He's improved statistically in almost every category ? not only are his points up to 11.5 a game, but his shooting percentage is up from 46.7 to 50.0, his 3-point percentage is up from 38.6 to 39.4 and his free throw percentage is up from 76.9 to a team-best 92.3. His rebounding is way up (from 1.5 to 2.5 a game). His steals have more than doubled (from 0.5 to 1.3 a game).

But while those numbers demonstrate Smith's increased impact as a player, they don't prove his improvement as a point guard.

The most revealing number in that regard is his assist to turnover ratio. A year ago, Smith actually had more turnovers (49) than assists (45). This year, he's reversed that number ? with 25 assists and just 22 turnovers in his first 11 games.

That's still a long way from the balance of former Duke point guard greats such as Steve Wojciechowski (over two and a half assists per turnovers) or Tommy Amaker (just over two assists per turnover). Even senior Greg Paulus, who started at the point for his first three seasons, has 428 assists and just 234 turnovers in his career.

Obviously, Smith has a more to learn before he reaches that level as a playmaker. Mike Krzyzewski is willing to be patient.

“I just want him to keep developing,” the Duke coach said. “He's got a tough position, and it wears on you mentally, not just physically, when you're responsible for running a team. Last year he didn't have to do this as the primary guy.”

Last year, Smith was not ready to run a college team from the point.

Although the gifted son of former Louisville and then NBA standout Derek Smith often played point guard as a youngster growing up, he was forced to the wing in his most important formative years at Oak Hill Academy. He played alongside future North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson as a prep junior, then played wing alongside Brandon Jennings (who passed up college ball to play pro in Europe) as a senior.

“I consider myself a combo guard,” Smith said when he arrived at Duke. “I was playing with two great point guards. If I got the ball, I was pushing it. If they got the ball, they were pushing it. Both of them could also score, so it was basically two combo guards in the backcourt.”

But Smith understood that he needed to trade that combo label in and evolve into a true point guard to reach his potential at Duke ? and beyond that, into the NBA.

“It was a learning experience from the minute I got to Duke ? and I'm still learning now,” he said. “It took a long summer working on it. Last year, I really learned a lot from watching Greg and watching tape of guys like Chris Paul and just really studying every aspect of the point guard position. Now, if I'm watching another college or NBA game, I'm really focusing on the point guard, since that's my position.”

Smith spent much of the summer working out with the NBA-bound Mike Beasley, a former teammate who turned pro last spring after earning All-America honors as a freshman at Kansas State.

“It was a long summer ? a long summer with a lot of effort and hard work,” Smith explained. “I went to Philadelphia and worked with Mike Beasley and DeAndre Jordan. We spent days working out three to five times a day, lifting and working out in the morning and evenings. That's the sacrifice you have to make.”

Smith and Beasley grew up together. Beasley even lived with the Smith family for awhile. They remain as close as brothers.

“Yeah, we talk all the time,” Smith said. “He's my little brother, but now he's like my big brother since he's at the higher level. So I'm the little brother now. He stays in my ear.”

So does Paulus, the veteran point guard that Smith displaced as Duke's starter.

“We have a great relationship,” Smith said of his mentor/rival. “He pushes me every day in practice and I push him every day in practice. It's been a battle for both of us, both trying to get better going into the ACC. Greg's been playing great in practice, so I'm expecting to see a lot of him in coming games.”

Paulus was hobbled most of the summer as he rehabbed a sore knee, then was sidelined briefly in November with a bruised elbow. But Smith didn't win the starting point guard job by default. He brings something to the table that Krzyzewski has always valued in his point guards ? the ability to pressure the ball.

“He's the best we have at defending the ball,” associate head coach Chris Collins said before the season.

It's instructive too look back at Coach K's great point guards ? from Tommy Amaker to Bobby Hurley to Steve Wojciechowski to Chris Duhon. They are very different players in many ways, but the one thing they shared was the ability to put intense defensive pressure on the opposing point guard. Amaker and Wojciechowski were each named national defensive player of the year as seniors, but Hurley and Duhon were also extremely effective in that category.

Smith is not yet at that level ? although the potential is there.

“It is a strength of mine,” the sophomore guard said. “As long as I can remember, people have always looked at me as a defender. I love playing defense ? I always have. I worked over the summer getting quick laterally. So that's something I bring to the table.”

Smith also brings a varied offensive game. He's a good 3-point shooter and one of the best transition scorers on the Duke team. He's a dangerous slasher in the halfcourt.

Of course, many scoring point guards have a hard time learning to balance the desire to generate their own offense and the need to set up their teammates. Often it's a tough tightrope to walk, but Smith is getting more and more comfortable in the role.

“If you're aggressive running the ball, you can be aggressive when it's time to score,” he said. “Coach K always tells me to be aggressive, whether I'm making plays for my teammates or making plays for myself.”

Duke has had some offensively explosive point guards in the past. Johnny Dawkins started out at the point and led Duke in scoring as a freshman in 1983 before moving to wing guard to make room for Amaker. Jason Williams led Duke in scoring and assists in 2000 and 2001 before moving to wing guard late in his sophomore year to share the backcourt with Duhon. Krzyzewski has had a lot of success playing two point guards together.

There are times this season when Smith and Paulus share the backcourt, giving Krzyzewski two point guards on the floor at one time. And junior guard Jon Scheyer often runs the show, especially in the halfcourt.

But Smith is increasingly demanding the ball in his hands.

“I'm very comfortable now,” he said. “Having the ball in my hands now is something I'm used to. Last year, I was learning the position, and this year, I feel like I know the position and the offense like the back of my hand. I know what to call and who to get the ball to, and I feel good when I'm out there.”

That doesn't mean that Smith thinks he's arrived as a point guard.

“As the year goes along, I watch film and I learn,” he said. “Going into my junior season and my senior seasons I expect to be a better player.”

That's an exciting prospect for the Blue Devils. Because, right now, Nolan Smith is very good.

“I'm very confident,” he said. “I'm confident in my leadership and everything I can do to help the team win.”