Best players available for the Toronto Raptors to draft in the second round

No. 4: Tyler Smith, Forward, G League Ignite (24th)

The Toronto Raptors need shooting, and one potential path to adding shooting is to get a stretch-big to space the court and give the team room to attack the rim from the perimeter. The problem is that centers who can shoot usually are drafted early (Kyle Filipowski being the notable exception) and many "stretch bigs" are really stretch-4s, position locked as power forwards.

Tyler Smith almost certainly fits that bill, a 6'11" forward without the strength or defensive ability to be a center. He joined the prospect-heavy G League Ignite team and played well; his 3-point shot didn't go in all that much but his footwork and release look solid, suggesting the percentage will tick up. He looks like the kind of player who can launch from all over and keep defenses honest.

The problem for Smith is the defensive end of the court, where he is a five-alarm fire. He has terrible instincts and below-average strength, putting him frequently out of position and without any path to getting back into it. He cannot protect the rim, he is roasted on the perimeter, and his rotations are unhelpful.

Add in that his offensive game is largely just pick-and-pop and pick-and-roll actions, with no shot creation or ability to finish inside if he isn't fed the ball with a wide-open rim, and he is a very limited player. The shooting looks real, and that touch extends inside the arc as well, but the Raptors don't need a worse version of Kelly Olynyk; Smith is someone they should likely pass on for another position.