News: Trail Blazers guard Nolan Smith doesn't expect to be back in Portland next season. Smith, who will be an unrestricted free agent July 1, averaged just 2.8 points and 0.9 assists in 40 games this season. "I think it's pretty obvious that I'm a free agent. They made that pretty clear. ... I think we can say that [I won't be back here next year] but I can't see the future. I don't know what they're thinking. We'll see what happens. ... They have a path that they want to go down and it's pretty obvious I'm not on it right now," Smith told reporters during his exit interview with the media last week.
Analysis: Smith was the team's first-round draft pick back in 2011 ahead of Kenneth Faried, but things haven't panned out for him during his brief time in the league. The 24-year-old has only started four of the 84 career games he has appeared in and his year was cut short this past season after he tore part of his patella tendon back in early April. While Smith is expected to be fully healthy by the start of training camp, we isn't sure which city he will be attending training camp in yet. He should draw some interest from teams, so keep an eye on where he winds up. However, unless Smith is suddenly thrown into a starting role, he likely won't have much Fantasy value heading into the 2013-14 campaign.
News: Trail Blazers guard Nolan Smith has been diagnosed with a partial tear of the patella tendon in his left knee and will miss the remainder of the season, reports CSNNW.com. Smith averaged just 2.8 points and 0.9 assists in 40 games this season.
Analysis: Tough break for Smith as he will be an unrestricted free agent this season. Still, we would expect the 24-year-old to catch on somewhere as a reserve option. Smith has yet to prove he can produce at this level so we don't anticipate him having much Fantasy value heading into the 2013-14 campaign.
News: Portland recalled guard Nolan Smith Wednesday from Idaho of the NBA Development League.
Analysis: Smith averaged 22.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists in his brief stint with Idaho. Still, Smith continues to be a minor part of the rotation in Portland and should be left off Fantasy rosters.
News: The Trail Blazers assigned guards Nolan Smith and Will Barton to their affiliate in the NBA Development League on Sunday in order to receive more playing time. Both players are averaging fewer than 11 minutes per game for Portland this season.
Analysis: Smith, in his second season, has not been a part of the Blazers' rotation for much of the season and posted just 2.5 points and 1.2 assists. It's his first stint at the lower level in his career, and he should be ignored in all Fantasy formats at this point.
News: Trail Blazers guard Nolan Smith was able to play through an illness Wednesday against the Kings, after missing the team’s previous game. Smith was hardly off the bench in the game, playing just two minutes in a 109-91 win. He had just one assists in the game.
Analysis: Smith is averaging just 2.5 points and 1.1 assists in 8.8 minutes per game this season. Despite playing for a team badly in need of depth, Smith rarely sees the floor. Continue to ignore him in all Fantasy formats.
News: Portland guard Nolan Smith, who missed Sunday's game with an upper respiratory infection, will return Wednesday against the Kings.
Analysis: Smith missed three games with the illness but is ready to return to action. That said, Smith really doesn't produce at a high level for the Blazers. He has low-end Fantasy value in all leagues.
News: Trail Blazers guard Nolan Smith did not travel with the team and was ruled out for Sunday's game against the Kings as he continues to deal with an upper respiratory infection. He has missed the last three games.
Analysis: Smith, who is listed as day to day, will likely need a few more days to recover before the team hosts the Kings Wednesday night, so we'll keep an eye on his progress moving forward. At this point, he does not produce at a high rate and should be ignored in all formats moving forward, healthy or not.
News: Portland guard Nolan Smith is dealing with an upper respiratory infection and will not play Saturday against the Suns, reports CSNNW.com. Smith is day to day for Portland.
Analysis: Smith is fighting off his infection and should need a couple days out of action. He's missed the last two games and has put up very minimal figures this year. He has very low-end Fantasy value.
News: Trail Blazers guard Nolan Smith recorded a season-high 11 points and three assists during Portland's 92-74 victory over Toronto on Monday night. Smith attempted 10 shots -- more than his total from the previous three games combined (eight) -- and made four of them for his first outing of the season with double-digits in points. He also posted his first steal of the season.
Analysis: Smith took advantage of the injuries to Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum, both of whom were ruled out, and led all of the Blazers' players off the bench with 11 minutes. The former Duke standout is normally buried on the team's depth chart as he entered the game averaging just 7.9 minutes per game. He is unlikely to continue his surge in production for long and is still not considered a worthwhile Fantasy option.
News: Trail Blazers guard Nolan Smith did not see much of the floor during Portland's contest against the Kings Tuesday night. Smith logged just three minutes off the bench in the blowout win and made one of his two field-goal attempts to finish with three points. He also committed a turnover during his limited playing time.
Analysis: Smith is currently third on the depth chart at both guard positions and as a result hasn't seen a ton of the floor yet. He has only seen the court for more than 10 minutes in two of his seven games and has yet to score more than three points in any one contest. Fantasy owners should continue to ignore Smith in all formats at this point in the season.
News: Trail Blazers guard Nolan Smith suffered a concussion during Portland's summer league game Tuesday night. Smith took an elbow to the head while driving to the hoop and had to be taken off the floor on a stretcher. He was rushed to the hospital but never lost consciousness and is expected to be fine moving forward.
Analysis: Smith's injury looked a a lot worse than it ended up being as he is alert and knew what was going on around him. Fantasy owners should keep an eye on his situation over the next few days just to make sure he doesn't suffer any lingering symptoms from his concussion. While Smith is expected to be fine for the start of training camp, he doesn't appear to be a big part of Portland's plans for the upcoming season. The former University of Duke standout should go undrafted in the majority of formats next fall.
News: Trail Blazers guard Nolan Smith was able to dress for Sunday night's contest against the Timberwolves, but he did not appear in the 119-106 defeat. Smith was listed as questionable heading into the contest due to an ear infection.
Analysis: Smith was healthy enough to play on Sunday, but he really wasn't needed in the blowout win. While the 23-year-old has been seeing some extended run of late with the Trail Blazers going through a youth movement, Fantasy owners should leave Smith on the waiver wire in the majority of formats heading into Week 15 (April 2-8).
News: Trail Blazers guard Nolan Smith told a local radio station on Sunday that he is still experiencing some symptoms stemming from the ear infection he has been battling, however he is expected to be in uniform on Sunday against the Timberwolves and could play if called on.
Analysis: Smith has missed the team's last two games after spending one in the starting lineup. Even if he does return on Sunday, he is likely to be just a reserve once again, so don't consider him much of a Fantasy option moving forward.
News: Trail Blazers guard Nolan Smith missed his second consecutive game on Friday against the Clippers, as he continues to deal with an ear infection. Smith did not travel with the team to Los Angeles, and his status moving forward is still not known.
Analysis: Smith just earned his first career start on Tuesday, so this comes at a bad time for the rookie, who coach Kaleb Canales described as being “locked in" recently. We’ll keep an eye on his status moving forward, however it is unlikely that he will have much value even when healthy.
News: Trail Blazers guard Nolan Smith missed Thursday’s game against the Hornets with an ear infection. His status moving forward is unknown.
Analysis: Smith just earned his first career start on Tuesday, so this comes at a bad time for the rookie, who coach Kaleb Canales described as being “locked in.” We’ll keep an eye on his status moving forward, however it is unlikely that he will have much value even when healthy.
News: Trail Blazers guard Nolan Smith earned his first career start during Tuesday night's contest against the Thunder. Smith, who filled in for Raymond Felton, finished with just three points on 1 of 7 shooting in the 109-95 loss. His lone make came from behind the arc and he added three assists, two rebounds and one steal to his stat line, while logging 26 minutes of game action.
Analysis: Portland interim coach Kaleb Canales gave Smith the start over Jamal Crawford on Tuesday night saying the rookie was "locked in." However, Smith may have played himself farther down on the bench with his latest performance, so Fantasy owners will have to stay tuned. Even if he does earn more starts, Smith would not be worth starting in the majority of formats at this point in the season.
News: Trail Blazers guard Nolan Smith hit just one shot on Tuesday night against the Bucks. He went 1 for 9 from the field, his lone shot coming from downtown. He added one rebound in his 16 minutes of action. Portland would end up losing the game, 116-87.
Analysis: Portland interim coach Kaleb Canales told NBA.com prior to Tuesday's game that guard Nolan Smith will be in the rotation moving forward. Smith, a rookie, will likely get the most run of the bench players under former coach Nate McMillan. Fantasy owners should keep an eye on Smith the rest of the season to gauge his value for next year. Right now though he's not worth owning.
News: Trail Blazers rookie Nolan Smith scored a career-high 12 points on Friday against the Bulls while playing 18 minutes off the bench in a 100-89 win. With the Blazers making moves on Thursday to clear their roster of cap space and plan for the future, Smith should continue to see an increased role off the bench.
Analysis: Smith was the No. 21 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, and the Blazers will likely give him some opportunities to prove himself moving forward. The Blazers have clearly started looking towards next year and beyond, so Smith should be one of the beneficiaries. Despite this new movement, it is unlikely that Smith will see such a large role that he will be worthy of owning in Fantasy leagues. Continue to leave him on waivers moving forward.
News: After getting into 11 games in January, Portland rookie guard Nolan Smith has gotten into just five contests in February. He scored five points on Saturday night against Atlanta. Smith shot 1 for 2 from the field (both coming from downtown) and nailed both his foul shots. He saw 15 minutes of court time in Portland's 97-77 win over Atlanta. Smith added two assists and a steal for the Trail Blazers.
Analysis: Smith entered Saturday averaging just 1.5 points per game on the year as he's seldom used. Portland gave him extended run with the game well in hand so his outing doesn't change his Fantasy value much. The rookie may be able to carve out more regular minutes after the All-Star break, but for now he's just a player to scout in the deepest of leagues.
News: Portland coach Nate McMillan said Trail Blazers G Nolan Smith could earn more playing time following his improved showing against Atlanta on Wednesday night. Smith scored three points in 10 minutes of action, the second-highest total of his rookie season. "I thought he played well enough (Wednesday) night to earn minutes," McMillan told The Oregonian. "I think he can help us get a rhythm offensively."
Analysis: Smith is averaging just 6.0 minutes per game during his first season out of Duke. But he could become part of Portland's rotation as early as Friday at Toronto as the team looks for a spark on offense at point guard. Smith hasn't scored more than six points in a game this season, but with regular playing time, he could become a decent reserve. For now, Fantasy owners should track his progress while looking to add him in deeper formats.
News: Trail Blazers G Nolan Smith was not much of a factor in Friday night's contest against the Spurs. Smith played two minutes off the bench in the 99-83 defeat and finished with just one point. He missed his lone field-goal attempt, but added one rebound and a steal to his stat line.
Analysis: Smith has appeared in just five games for Portland thus far, and normally only sees the court during garbage time. He is only getting about six minutes per game and is averaging 3.8 points and an assist over that stretch. While the Trail Blazers remain very high on the rookie, Nolan should only be owned in deeper long-term keeper formats.
News: The Trail Blazers had the 21st and 51st picks in the draft Thursday. At No. 21, Portland selected 6-foot-2 guard Nolan Smith, who averaged 20.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists for Duke last season. Smith declared himself eligible for last year's draft after Duke won the NCAA title, but ultimately decided to stay with the Blue Devils for his senior year. He is the son of the late Derek Smith, who played on Louisville's 1980 NCAA championship team before a nine-year NBA career. With the 51st pick, Portland selected guard Jon Diebler out of Ohio State. Diebler, at 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds, averaged 12.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists with the Buckeyes last season. He is the Big Ten's leader for career 3-pointers with 374. "I really feel good about the moves that we made today," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. "I think we got better not only right now, but for the future."
Analysis: Smith is expected to be the No. 2 point guard in Portland behind Raymond Felton, who was acquired in a draft-night trade from Denver. Smith has minimal Fantasy value in seasonal leagues and will likely be a backup guard for most of his NBA career. Ignore him in all leagues on Draft Day in the majority of leagues.
