If the NBA draft is little more than a careful wager on potential, former Arizona State forward Tommy Smith is beginning to look like a pretty good bet.

Potential, after all, has defined Smith since the day ASU coach Rob Evans spotted him at North High School.

But through four years at ASU, it emerged in fits and starts, or not at all. From game to game, it was hard to tell whether Smith was a lottery pick or just posing as one.

During individual workouts for various NBA teams and at one camp, however, all that promise has blossomed in such abundance that Smith is poised to climb the charts in the days before Cleveland makes LeBron James the No. 1 pick on June 26.

"I can't envision him not being drafted," said David Griffin, a Suns scout and the club's assistant director for player personnel. "He figures to be a second-round pick. But he could slip into the bottom of the first round."