Round 2: Tyler Smith

[RiotPunch]

Gives me Tari Eason vibes.

Eh, not really. Tyler is a real shooter, knocking down spot-up C&S 3's was basically his role with Ignite-- nice form, repeatable stroke. Has tools, but a lot of room to grow as a defender. Eason is shaky as a shooter and a great multipositional defender.

[RiotPunch]

Hoping Tyler is our Trey Murphy III

[KidA24]

So, He's 19, 6'9, athletic and can shoot threes... Why is he going this late?

He's worse defensively than Jabari was and he can't make layups

[Bernman]

I don’t get it either, particularly as a big, but it does seem to be pretty wide spread at this point. Oso is another guy who appears to have done it. Reed Shepperd probably did.

More factually, we can look at guys who’ve been to the combine multiple times, Bona dropped his standing reach this year by 2.5”. Daron Holmes 1”. Terrence Shannon Jr dropped 2”.

Guards likely do it even more often, but I don’t care to keep digging.

BTW, I want to say it's PJ Hall who said it, & he came in at 4.5" underneath what he had at G League Elite Camp a yr earlier. The curious decision might have cost him a lot of $. He was being mocked in the early 2nd rd before that, & almost always showed up on the list somewhere, until the draft, when he didn't get picked.

Ironically, he went to the Nuggets, after they already drafted another 4/5 I was interested in - Daron Holmes. Hall would have had a better shot w/ the Bucks. Still think Smith is more 4/3, Hall is a 4/5. Holmes is better than Smith. He's also way more ready to contribute. If/when Portis were traded, I could have seen Hall as rotational even here. It's a shame.

[MiltownMadness]

So, He's 19, 6'9, athletic and can shoot threes... Why is he going this late?

He's worse defensively than Jabari was and he can't make layups

Didnt his team go 2-26? No one on the team has good defensive stats I imagine

[FrieAaron]

So, He's 19, 6'9, athletic and can shoot threes... Why is he going this late?

He's worse defensively than Jabari was and he can't make layups

Didnt his team go 2-26? No one on the team has good defensive stats I imagine

Yes, he actually had the second lowest DRTG on the team, after Ron Holland

[MiltownMadness]

He's worse defensively than Jabari was and he can't make layups

Didnt his team go 2-26? No one on the team has good defensive stats I imagine

Yes, he actually had the second lowest DRTG on the team, after Ron Holland

Seems willfully ignorant because he can easily become a defender with his tools and hasn't shown signs of being incapable of playing D, am I wrong? Does he project as a terrible defender? Extremely lazy to a irredeemable point? I'm genuinely curious. Maybe he is slow footed but projecting worse than Jabari (multiple people have said that ITT) on D off the bat seems crazy. I've seen this guy mocked near the lotto so I know we didn't reach

[bucksfansince88]

Smith is a play finisher off the catch pretty much anywhere on the court. You'll even see him hitting pull ups on a hang dribble. He's smooth. I had a really hard time figuring out what the Ignite were trying to do defensively but it didn't seem like it was worse with Smith out there. Offensively, it did seem like they needed him. He can and will shoot the ball.

I didn’t think you were much of a fan? Seemed like just a week ago you mentioned Tyler Smith and his best attribute being you won’t have to question his motor in comparison to Kel’el Ware. Is it fair to say you’re more neutral on Smith rather than high or low?

I think he came up when we were talking about Ware so I wanted to clarify that I didn't feel the same way about him. I had him really on the same level as the older guys I wrapped up my top 30 with, but gave them the edge because I think they're closer to helping.

My biggest concern is what kind of player he wants to be. I don't mind at all what he does on offense -- taking a lot of jumpers, basically -- because he also sets decent screens and has good timing on rolls, but as smooth as he is getting into his jumper, and as good as his combine numbers look, he doesn't scan to me as a perimeter defender and the big man stuff isn't always what it should be. But like I said, he competes, and he might just need to get stronger.

He's another guy who might not be done growing, too.

im forcing him to watch Toronto Raptors and Heat Highlights of Chris Bosh! if this kid wants to be great he can be, has all the physical gifts and skills to be that.

[emunney]

Just realized I had Smith at 33, between Knecht and Dadiet.

[CharityStripe34]

Can he play the dunker spot and catch lobs from the Big Three?

[JonHeist]

Can he play the dunker spot and catch lobs from the Big Three?

he seemed to be good at both getting open for and catching lobs in everything I've seen

[German Athens]

He is a lot like the 4/5 version of jabari smith’s 3/4.

Tyler doesn’t get his shot off as quick, and has a more pronounced dip, but it still looks fluid and quick enough. They both love just catching and firing over the top of someone.

Tyler also doesn’t have as effective of handles, but both were predominantly straight line drivers at 19.

I think Tyler may actually be a little more vertically explosive than jabari, and looks like he could be a better weakside shot blocker.

I like this pick. I’ll be really interest to see if he can develop his handle at all, and prove to have a bit more game attacking the cup, and I’d like to see how he does guarding on the perimeter, but the baseline is nice.

[German Athens]

I also wonder what kind of stats he would have put up in college as a freshman, and how that may have impacted his draft stock.

[LUKE23]

https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/the-understated-upside-of-tyler-smith

[emunney]

I know I'm old because you guys keep bringing up comparisons to Jabari Smith and I keep thinking about his dad and making a Tim Robinson face.

[Badgerlander]

Do we even have a big man coach on the staff that can teach Smith how to post up and box out and body his man and defend pnr?

[randy84]

So, He's 19, 6'9, athletic and can shoot threes... Why is he going this late?

He's worse defensively than Jabari was and he can't make layups

Didnt his team go 2-26? No one on the team has good defensive stats I imagine

Horst draft strategy. Draft players off the worst teams.

[ReasonablySober]

He's worse defensively than Jabari was and he can't make layups

Didnt his team go 2-26? No one on the team has good defensive stats I imagine

Horst draft strategy. Draft players off the worst teams.

Didn't Ajax and Uconn win the National Championship?

[MiltownMadness]

Didnt his team go 2-26? No one on the team has good defensive stats I imagine

Horst draft strategy. Draft players off the worst teams.

Didn't Ajax and Uconn win the National Championship?

ddv. dont think he thought much about that one

[FrieAaron]

Horst draft strategy. Draft players off the worst teams.

Didn't Ajax and Uconn win the National Championship?

ddv. dont think he thought much about that one

Even if it were true, not acquiring players because they were on bad teams is obviously not a great strategy.