At every stage in his college basketball career, Braden Smith has heard the doubters. That’s not any different this week, as the former Purdue guard pursues his dream of playing in the NBA at the scouting combine.
Proving people wrong is one of Smith’s favorite hobbies on the basketball court.
Tuesday, Smith finished his first scrimmage at the NBA Scouting Combine with eight points, four rebounds and three assists, though he had a much better day passing the basketball than his numbers would suggest.
Performing in this type of environment might be chaotic and challenging for many players, but Smith said he feels relaxed this week in Chicago. In fact, he doesn’t feel much pressure at all.
“I think this has been the least stressful out of my last five years for me,” Smith told Brian Neubert of GoldandBlack.com. “I know that’s kinda crazy. Like, you don’t know where you’re gonna be in the next month, you could be wherever. I’m done with school, I’m playing basketball every single day, and I get to prove people wrong. That’s what I love doing.”
Arizona Wildcats forward Ivan Kharchenkov (8) defends against Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3). | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images
Smith obviously enjoyed most of his individual success in his junior and senior seasons at Purdue. He was the Big Ten Player of the Year and winner of the Bob Cousy Award in 2025 and earned All-Big Ten first-team honors and first-team All-American recognition in each of his final two seasons in West Lafayette.
The point guard said the challenge of proving people wrong, earning his spot on the floor, and showing everyone he belongs is what makes this process so enjoyable.
“My freshman year, I had to prove and earn my start, earn playing time, earn all those things. That was more fun doing that than it was my junior and senior years,” Smith said. “Don’t get me wrong, junior and senior year were awesome. But it’s just more fun getting that build-up, starting all over from scratch, being able to go out there and create something great.”
Although Smith measured at 5-foot-10 1/4 — the shortest player at this year’s NBA Scouting Combine — he’s performed at a high level during athletic and shooting drills. He finished in the top 25 of every shooting drill and in three of the five athletic training drills.
Where Smith looked his best, though, was in the five-on-five scrimmage. He had a solid performance on Wednesday and will get another chance to impress the scouts on Thursday.
Smith remains confident in his passing ability
Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) dribbles the ball. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
There’s not really a question about what Smith can best provide to a team at the NBA level. For four years, he was the best passer in college basketball, surpassing Bobby Hurley as the NCAA’s all-time assist leader.
Smith dished out more than 300 assists in each of his final two seasons with the Boilermakers. The point guard still believes that’s his greatest skill heading into the next level.
“Personally, I think I’m the best passer in this draft class and probably basketball,” Smith said. “That’s just how I see it. Obviously, I’m probably biased towards myself, but that’s just how I feel. I have a good feel for the game, and being able to get guys open shots, I think I do that at an elite level. Just continue to do that at this level.”
Right now, Smith is a consensus second-round pick for the 2026 NBA Draft. Will he move up on some boards after his effort at the scouting combine this week?
If not, Smith will be happy to prove a lot of teams wrong for passing on him.
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