NBA Draft 2024: Ignite's Tyler Smith Sneaking Into Lottery Discussion
It’s no secret that Ignite has really struggled to win games this season and some of their players have seen their name slip a little bit on mock drafts. Despite this team coming short in many of their games, they have one of the most talented and deepest prospect rosters we have ever seen.
Let’s dive into how their 6-foot-10 forward Tyler Smith has sneaked his way into lottery conversations.
Smith is an extremely talented forward who was playing for Overtime Elite during the last two years before electing to change paths and join the G League. The 6-foot-10 forward has some fans in OTE as the talent was evident at that size and the lefty showcased a smooth shooting stroke, but the consistency wasn’t always there. Now a year later, his improvement has been extremely impressive.
This season for Ignite he’s averaging 13 points, five rebounds and one assist per game while shooting 47% from the field and 38.8% from the outside. He’s the only prospect projected to be drafted who has 30 or more plus dunks and 30 or more 3-pointers this season. This showcases his unique versatility on the offensive end and how he can find different ways to score the ball.
The defense obviously needs some work, but the tools are there for him to be a solid defender as he has very good mobility at 6-foot-10, boasts solid length, and is a fast learner. The biggest selling point for Smith is the shooting at his size, as he can serve as a stretch big with the ability to do a variety of different things on the court.
His draft stock has been skyrocketing this season, as a year ago he wasn’t seen on many mock drafts in the first round. Just before the season started, he was projected a second-round pick, and now is hovering around the lottery range, which could result in Ignite having three or four lottery picks in the 2024 NBA Draft with him, Ron Holland, Matas Buzelis and Izan Almansa. There’s still plenty of games to be played, but if Smith can hold this play up then there’s real reason to believe he will end up as a lottery pick in June's draft.
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