Mock Draft: Raptors Add Floor-Spacing Center to Pair With Scottie Barnes

The Toronto Raptors are expected to draft Tyler Smith as a floor-spacing big man out of the G League Ignite to pair with Scottie Barnes moving forward

Feb 16, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Team Detlef forward Tyler Smith (11) of the G League / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Kelly Olynyk was supposed to show the Toronto Raptors something special.

The hope had been he’d be the kind of floor-spacing center Scottie Barnes had never played with and maybe Toronto would learn something about how Barnes co-exists with a big like Olynyk. How would pick-and-pops look with Barnes and Olynyk? How would floor spacing look different without a big man like Jakob Poeltl in the lane when Barnes attacks the hoop?  

“I think it’ll be interesting to see Kelly’s skill set. I don’t know if he’s had a player like Kelly to play with,” Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said when Toronto pulled off the trade deadline deal to acquire Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji.

But Barnes was healthy for just eight games following the trade deadline and Toronto never got to see the full Olynyk and Barnes experience.

It’s hard to read much into such a small sample size, but there are reasons to believe Barnes and a big like Olynyk would work well together. Barnes, for example, got to the rim 20 percentage points more often and had a higher rim field goal percentage with Olynyk on the floor compared to when the Canadian big man sat, per PBP Stats.

Those kinds of stats are what makes Tyler Smith such an intriguing prospect for the Raptors in the middle of the first round. The 6-foot-11 Smith is a younger version of Olynyk who can space the floor thanks to his 36% three-point stroke with the G League Ignite this past season.

Smith, projected by Bleacher Report to be selected by the Raptors at No. 19, had a bit of an inconsistent season with the Ignite. He averaged 13.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game and his 73.2% free throw stroke suggests his shooting percentages are real. But there are also some real concerns about Smith who doesn't quite have a ton of strength right now to finish through contact and his defense this past year left a lot to be desired.

He needs a ton of development to be a rim protector and right now he’s too exploitable in pick-and-roll situations. Aside from his size and 7-foot-1 wingspan, there’s not a ton that he’s shown so far that suggests he’ll be an above-average defensive big man.

But considering he’s just 19 years old, maybe that’s OK for Toronto right now.

With Olynyk and Poeltl both signed for at least the next two seasons, the Raptors can slow play it with a developmental center, giving a prospect like Smith a ton of G League opportunities before calling him up down the road.

Considering the direction the league is going and Barnes' impressive inside attacking, it certainly makes sense for Toronto to add another floor-spacing big man to the organization's young core for the future.