Behind the Bucks Pass
Fansided

NBA Draft: Is Zhaire Smith a first round gamble worth taking for the Bucks?

By Jordan Treske

CHICAGO, IL - MAY 19: Zhaire Smith poses for a head shot at the Body Image station for the Medical Evaluation portion of the 2018 NBA Combine powered by Under Armour on May 19, 2018 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - MAY 19: Zhaire Smith poses for a head shot at the Body Image station for the Medical Evaluation portion of the 2018 NBA Combine powered by Under Armour on May 19, 2018 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
LUBBOCK, TX – FEBRUARY 13: (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX – FEBRUARY 13: (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

What the experts say

(as of 6/11/18)

ESPN (Jonathan Givony): 16th

The Ringer (Kevin O’Connor, Jonathan Tjarks, Danny Chau): 18th

Sports Illustrated (Jeremy Woo): 17th

Sporting News (Chris Stone): 13th

The Athletic (Sam Vecenie): 17th

The Stepien (Composite Rank): 10th, Tier 4

The Step Back (Brandon Kleen): 14th

Quotes:

Noting both how his breakout performance this season increased interest in him from NBA teams as well as where he stands in his development as it relates to his prospects on the next level, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie asserts that Smith should be valued highly ahead of the draft:

"“Every year, a player comes from outside of the top-40 of recruiting rankings and establishes himself as a one-and-done prospect. This year’s example is Smith, a consensus borderline top-200 prospect in high school who immediately leapt onto the scene for NBA evaluators to rush down to Lubbock to get a look at him. He’s an elite athlete at the wing position, who applies that athleticism to the floor at an extremely high level. Even at 18 years old, Smith is a terrific defensive player with strong versatility who can defend a lot of different positions. He has great reaction time and recognition defensively, allowing him to help all over the floor because his recovery speed. Things are a bit murkier on offense. He has a good feel for the game in terms of spacing and cutting, but doesn’t necessarily have a terrific skill level yet in his development. Not yet overly confident with his jumper, he took just 40 3-point attempts this season. Additionally, his handle is still mostly just straight-line to the basket without much in the way of change of pace or direction. Still, in a wing-starved NBA, his athleticism, motor and defensive package of skills makes him a very attractive prospect to teams, even if it’ll take some time on offense. He’ll be picked in the first round, and with a strong predraft process has a chance to go late in the lottery.”"

Jackson Hoy of The Stepien writes about just how valuable Smith was to the Red Raiders’ success this year and despite having big concerns about his skill set at this point, the 19-year-old could be a real game changer for some team, should he forge down the right path in his development:

"“Zhaire Smith came out of nowhere to establish himself as a legitimate NBA prospect over the course of this season thanks to his outlier athleticism and surprising feel for the game. By some advanced metrics, he was one of the 20 or 30 most valuable players in the NCAA, with his tenacious defense and ability to do the little things on offense a key part of Texas Tech’s surprisingly successful season. He faces real questions about his ability to add value on offense without a reliable jump shot or particularly advanced handle, but Smith brings a high floor with his athleticism, feel, and defensive versatility. If his offensive game develops faster than expected, he could emerge as one of the steals of the draft.”"

Home/Bucks Draft