2024 NBA Draft Profile: Tyler Smith
NBA G League Staff /June 12, 2024
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Ranked by ESPN as the No. 8 player in the 2023 high school class and a consensus five-star recruit, Tyler Smith originally attended George Bush High School in Fort Bend County, Texas. The 6-foot-11 forward went on to ink his first professional contract with Overtime Elite in August 2021. In his second year with OTE as part of the Cold Hearts, he averaged 15.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting 47.5 percent from the field, earning All-OTE Second Team honors.
Smith went on to sign with Ignite in June of 2023. This past year, the 19-year-old averaged 13.7 points and 5.1 rebounds between Showcase Cup and Regular Season action, recording seven 20+ point performances overall. His 589 total points scored was the most by any Ignite player this season, and he made multiple 3-pointers in 18 games. He showed that he’s capable of scoring from anywhere on the court, whether it be from deep, from the midrange, or down low as a roller. He hit 60 percent of his left corner 3-pointers during the Regular Season, and excelled on the pick and pop as the season progressed.
2023-24 Season Averages: 43 GP, 13.7 PTS, 5.1 REB, 1.3 AST, 1.0 BLK, 36.0% 3PT
Top Performance:
Smith’s best all-around performance was easily his Feb. 13 showing against the Indiana Mad Ants. He dropped a career-high 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field (3-of-6 from three-point range) to go along with 4 rebounds. His 11 made field goals in that game also set a career high.
All-Star Weekend 2024:
Along with a handful of his Ignite teammates, Smith competed in the NBA G League Up Next Game presented by AT&T, playing for Team Strictly BBall. He posted 3 rebounds off the bench in their Semifinals matchup against eventual champions Team Earn Your Leisure.
Draft Prep Chatter:
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