Ignite forward entering 2024 NBA Draft

Tyler Smith, a 6-foot-10 forward who spent the season with the G League Ignite, has decided to enter the 2024 NBA Draft, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Smith, who spent two years at Overtime Elite before joining the Ignite for the 2023-24 season, averaged 13.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 22.2 minutes per game across 43 appearances for the Ignite in the Showcase Cup and the regular season, posting a shooting line of .474/.360/.732.

As Givony writes, Smith appeals to NBA teams due to his “positional size, scoring instincts, and shot-making prowess,” as well as his youth (he’s still just 19 years old). He ranks 21st overall on ESPN’s big board of 2024 prospects.

“Jabari Smith, Kyle Kuzma, Michael Porter Jr.; those are the types of players I see myself playing like,” Smith said. “Big wings who can space the floor and also play as small-ball fives.”

In past years, Smith would have become automatically draft-eligible in the spring, but a tweak to the CBA means that he and his Ignite teammates must declare for the draft of their own accord. 

He’s the third Ignite player to do so this year, joining projected lottery picks Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland.