Last year, Louisville basketball took full advantage of the Transfer Portal, as Pat Kelsey brought in 12 new players, with 11 of them coming from the portal. Three of those players from NBA Dreams are close to having their dreams fulfilled, as Chucky Hepburn, Terrence Edwards Jr., and Reyne Smith will all represent the Cardinals in the NBA Summer League this July.
These three Cardinals led Louisville in scoring last season, and were crucial pieces to Kelsey's historic season. Now, they will look to elevate their game and have a successful Summer League run, eventually making their NBA G League team.
While Hepburn signed a two-way deal already, Smith and Edwards now will look to do the same. Edwards will play for the Milwaukee Bucks in Las Vegas, while Smith will play for the Denver Nuggets. ESPN recently released a watch list for the NBA Summer League, and the Tasmania native found his name on it.
Related: Louisville basketball three-point specialist etched his name in program history books
Former Louisville sharpshooter just got put on ESPN's NBA Summer League watch list
Smith is coming off his best collegiate season as he averaged a career-high 13.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while splashing a career-high 3.5 3-pointers per game. He averaged all of these on exceptional shooting splits as he shot 39.1 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Smith being named one of the top Australians to watch makes perfect sense, as he is someone who can take over games with his shooting and is fun to watch.
"Smith -- a 6'2 shooting guard out of Tasmania -- went undrafted after an impressive season at Louisville, but went on to sign a Summer League deal with the Nuggets.Olgun Uluc
As a senior at Louisville, Smith averaged a career-high 13.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 37.9% from beyond the three-point line (on 9.1 attempts a game)."
The former Cardinals guard splashed three or more 3-pointers in 20 games last season, five or more 3-pointers in seven games, six or more 3-pointers in three games, seven or more 3-pointers in two games, and his career-high and program record was when he made 10 3-pointers against SMU.
Smith's 3.5 3-pointers per game was the third most in College Basketball, and his 107 total 3-pointers made ranked No. 15 in the nation. The new Nuggets sharpshooter transferred to Louisville from Charleston after his massive season under Kelsey.
In his final season with Charleston, he splashed 112 3-pointers, and in all three seasons, he made 90 3-pointers or more. In his four collegiate seasons, he splashed 401 3's on 37.3 percent.
Smith will make his NBA Summer League debut against Edwards and the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, July 10, on NBA TV or ESPN.
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