A Scout’s Take: Assessing Tyler Smith’s G League Fall Invitational Performance
After two years of development with Overtime Elite, Tyler Smith has joined the G League Ignite as he takes one step closer to becoming a potential NBA draft pick.
Equipped with a modern frame and game, he was one of the standouts amongst projected upper tier prospects in his teammate Matas Buzelis and Alex Sarr (Perth). Let’s discuss the noteworthy takeaways from Smith’s exciting start to the cycle.
Stats: 11.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2 steals, 3.5 blocks, 40% 3PT
Projectable Floor Stretcher
Lefties tend to have this unfair innate shooting stroke that’s so beautiful to watch and feels like the ball is going in every time. This is the case with Smith, a long and fluid 6-foot-10 big wing/stretch four. He possesses an effortless shooting motion and high release paired with the shotmaking confidence evaluators want to see.
Smith didn't hesitate to shoot whether he was unguarded or needed to shoot over the top of a defender. He knocked down a couple of corner catch-and-shoot threes alongside a pick-and-pop three out the horns set, finishing 2-of-5 from three over the two games. There were a couple of bad misses including an airball long, but it’s far from anything to be discouraged about and Smith certainly wasn't fazed by them.
Through 45 games tracked by Cerebro Sports, he’s shooting 32% from three on 203 attempts. In his final four games with OTE (playoffs), he buried 10-of-24 from distance (41.7%).
How dynamic of a shooter/shotmaker he develops into is still in question, but he’s proving that he’ll at least provide NBA teams with a capable floor spacing and shooting gravity because of his shotmaking and size.
Defensive Playmaking
Smith’s impact as defensive playmaker was evident, swatting seven shots and swiping four steals. He showcased his range, timing and physical tools as a formidable weakside shot blocker and a disruptor at the rim and in passing lanes in pick-and-roll scenarios as the tagger.
One of my favorite defensive possessions from him was a quick second jump block after getting caught in the air twice to contest different attempts. It’s a telling data point for his modern wing movement skills, recoverability, timing and length utilization (reported 7-foot wingspan).
The upside is clearly there for Smith to become one of the more intriguing defenders in the class because of his physical tools, switchability and disruptiveness.
Off-ball Movement
Smith’s energy and activity manifested offensively as a cutter and an offensive rebounder/glass crasher (4 out of his 9 total rebounds were offensive).
One of the best plays that illustrates his off-ball movement is below where he crashes from the wing, flows out to the opposite corner then cuts baseline for the lob dunk, without ever really becoming stagnant. On another baseline cut for a score, he flashed a skill finish with an contested off-hand layup at the rim.
I always love to see when someone’s activity and hustle leads to points or an easy opportunity for a teammate.
Smith crashes hard from the wing then misses the tap in, but it helps open up a put-back for Sane who is crashing hard as well. Those are intangible plays that help win games and keep him on the floor if his shot is off.
Closing Thoughts
At 6-foot-10 with a projectable shooting stroke, modern wing tools and defensive upside, Smith has the ingredients of a lock 2024 first rounder. There is a translatable 3-and-D role for him in the NBA.
Growth as a versatile shooter/shotmaker and ball handler are vital areas of development that will raise his ceiling, making him a 3-and-D plus prospect. I wouldn't be surprised if he’s one of the cycle's biggest risers.
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