Malachi Knight-Smith (born December 6, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Wright State Raiders, Chattanooga Mocs, and Gonzaga Bulldogs.
| No. 18 – Memphis Hustle | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| League | NBA G League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | December 6, 1999 Evansville, Indiana, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2023: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2023–present |
| Career history | |
| 2023–2024 | Rip City Remix |
| 2024 | Wisconsin Herd |
| 2024–present | Memphis Hustle |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
High school career
editSmith started playing high school basketball at Belleville High School-East in Belleville, Illinois before transferring to Belleville High School-West for his senior season.[1] At Belleville West, he averaged 15.5 points alongside E. J. Liddell and helped his team win its first Class 4A state title.[2] Smith committed to playing college basketball for Wright State in November 2017, choosing the Raiders over Lindenwood, Montana State and Denver.[3]
College career
editAs a freshman at Wright State, Smith averaged 5.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, earning Horizon League All-Freshman Team honors. For his sophomore season, he transferred to Chattanooga and sat out for one year due to transfer rules.[4] Smith averaged 16.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, earning First Team All-Southern Conference (SoCon) honors from the league's coaches, in his first year with the team.[5] He declared for the 2021 NBA draft before returning to college.[6] On November 18, 2021, he scored a career-high 36 points in an 87–76 loss to Murray State.[7]
At the close of his sophomore season, Smith was named the Southern Conference Player of the Year by both the league's coaches and media.[8]
Professional career
editRip City Remix (2023–2024)
editAfter going undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft, Smith joined the Portland Trail Blazers for the 2023 NBA Summer League[9] and on October 2, 2023, he signed with them.[10] However, he was waived on October 10[11] and on October 30, he joined the Rip City Remix of the NBA G League.[12]
Wisconsin Herd (2024)
editOn January 12, 2024, Smith was traded to the Wisconsin Herd for Jazian Gortman.[13]
Memphis Hustle (2024–present)
editOn October 9, 2024, Smith was traded to the Memphis Hustle.[14]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | Wright State | 35 | 0 | 15.1 | .435 | .222 | .820 | 2.9 | 1.7 | .8 | .1 | 5.4 |
| 2019–20 | Chattanooga | Redshirt | ||||||||||
| 2020–21 | Chattanooga | 25 | 25 | 35.8 | .460 | .383 | .802 | 8.8 | 3.3 | 1.5 | .2 | 16.8 |
| 2021–22 | Chattanooga | 35 | 34 | 35.4 | .493 | .407 | .827 | 6.7 | 3.0 | 1.7 | .1 | 19.9 |
| 2022–23 | Gonzaga | 37 | 1 | 20.8 | .536 | .500 | .792 | 3.6 | 1.4 | .9 | .0 | 8.7 |
| Career | 132 | 60 | 26.0 | .485 | .410 | .815 | 5.2 | 2.3 | 1.2 | .1 | 12.3 | |
Personal life
editSmith's mother, Connie, served in the United States Air Force for 12.5 years and is currently an ALT Administrator at Ascension. His parents divorced when he was six years old, and he was subsequently raised by his mother. Smith's grandfather, Larry Knight, played professional basketball and was a first-round draft pick by the Utah Jazz.[15]
References
edit- ^ Halfacre, Paul (February 24, 2018). "Smith has Belleville West ready for next step". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- ^ Scott Jr., Maurice (February 20, 2019). "Malachi Smith making his way at Wright State". The St. Louis American. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- ^ Eschman, Todd (November 7, 2017). "Belleville West guard doesn't wait for signing period to announce college choice". Belleville News-Democrat. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- ^ Criddle, Dean (June 19, 2019). "Belleville West graduate Malachi Smith transfers to Tennessee-Chattanooga". Belleville News-Democrat. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- ^ "Season Review: Smith Sets New Standard". University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Athletics. June 10, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- ^ Nyman, Rick (July 8, 2021). "Mocs Malachi Smith and David Jean Baptiste Enjoyed NBA Draft Process". WDEF-TV. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- ^ "Brown carries Murray State past Chattanooga 87-76". USA Today. Associated Press. December 18, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- ^ "All-SoCon men's basketball teams announced" (Press release). Southern Conference. March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- ^ "Trail Blazers Announce NBA 2K24 NBA Summer League 2023 Roster". NBA.com. June 30, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ "Trail Blazers Sign Five Players". NBA.com. October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ "Trail Blazers Sign George Conditt". NBA.com. October 10, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
- ^ Holdahl, Casey [@CHold] (October 30, 2023). "The @ripcityremix begin training camp for their inagural [sic] season today at the @trailblazers practice facility. Here's who they're taking into camp..." (Tweet). Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ "WISCONSIN HERD ACQUIRE MALACHI SMITH". NBA.com. January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ "Memphis Hustle complete six-team trade". NBA.com. October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ Archdeacon, Tom (October 23, 2018). "Freshman guard hopes to live up to his name at Wright State". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved December 21, 2021.