The Milwaukee Bucks no longer have their other draft pick from 2024, having flipped AJ Johnson to Washington in the Kyle Kuzma trade, but they have high hopes for forward Tyler Smith. While it’s hardly an indictment on his future, he hasn’t impressed so far in Summer League – his shooting has been downright abysmal. He’ll have one more chance to leave fans with a better impression when the Bucks take on Miami at 6:00 PM CT Friday, the last game of Milwaukee’s Summer League slate.
Smith Has Been Badly Off the Mark in Milwaukee Bucks Summer League Thus Far
The 33rd pick in last year’s draft, Smith is still just 20. In limited action in the NBA and G League, he has shown an impressive combination of athleticism and shooting skills. The latter element just hasn’t shown up this summer.
Through four games, Smith is now 2-23 on threes, going 1-5 Wednesday against the Bulls. Despite notching a summer-best 11 points, he got a bit less burn that game with only 16 minutes.
That’s not who he is, at least the Bucks hope so. With Milwaukee last year, he made 13 of 30 attempts from behind the arc, including a 4-6 performance for 20 points to wrap up the regular season versus the Pistons.
Of course, that’s not much of a sample size. Overall, Smith only appeared in 23 games averaging five minutes a night for the Bucks as a rookie. Somewhat concerningly, despite his smooth stroke he wasn’t particularly efficient in the G League, shooting 32.7% from deep on over 4 attempts per game.
He actually fared a bit better playing with the G League Ignite in 2023-24, before the Bucks drafted him, when he shot 36%.
Smith’s range is a huge part of his game. At 6-foot-9, he fits most naturally at power forward but can also fit the three. Before his Summer League showing, anyway, Bucks fans held out hope that he could steal some minutes from Kyle Kuzma, who does not shoot well, this season. He still could if he performs well in other contexts. In any case, his promise all but guarantees Smith a roster spot.
Assuming he’s back in the lineup tonight, he’ll at least have the opportunity to end on a positive. More chances will come during training camp and the preseason as the Bucks further evaluate what type of player Smith can be in year two.
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