Braden Smith Selected with No. 38 Pick: Scouting Report, Fit and More

The 2026 NBA Draft is officially past the halfway point, with the league’s second round having kicked off on Wednesday night.

Plenty of star-studded prospects found their way to NBA homes on Tuesday night, and while the talent will be harder to parse through in the second round, it’s sure to offer some of the same.

Purdue guard Braden Smith could very well be one of those talents, having been drafted by the Pacers No. 38 overall. Smith is one of the most prolific passers ever seen at the college level, having averaged 14.3 points and 8.8 assists in his final season at Purdue while becoming the Big Ten’s all-time leading passer.

Below is Smith’s pro scouting report, and how he could fit with the Pacers.

Braden Smith Scouting Report

College: Purdue

Class: Senior

Position: Guard

Height: 6-0

Wingspan: 6-3

Draft age: 22.9

Strengths:

Passing and vision

Play-Making and handling

Pick-and-roll prowess

Shooting

Areas of Improvement:

Driving and finishing

Defense

Outlook:

Smith offers a highly-specific player, one who will need to command on-ball reps to be his best. But one that could thrive in doing so by setting up teammates and settling offense. He doesn’t project to be a lead guard long-term due to his size, but could be a great bench piece for teams in need of a table-setter.

Smith is a truly prolific passer and play-maker able to make every read in the book. He should be able to thrive with cutters, shooters and play-finishers.

He’ll need to improve his finishing and find a defensive floor, but he could see NBA time as early as next season if so. His shooting ability lends him some positional versatility, at least in terms of playing off other creators.

Role: Backup floor general

Impact: Late-Rotation

Swing skills: Finishing, Defense

Read the full scouting report

Fit with Pacers

Smith will now join the long line of Pacers handlers that step in and settle offense. With elite scorers like Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac, Smith should be able to set up his fellow Pacers at an elite rate, much like his time at Purdue.

Smith isn't dissimilar to TJ McConnell and his play-style as a spark-plug bench guard, meaning Smith may not be destined for Year 1 minutes.

Still, Smith has a future in Indiana as a high-feel, run-and-gun player that can slot into the system perfectly and offer a level of offensvie juice.

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