Q&A: G League Ignite's Tyler Smith ready for 2024 Panini Rising Stars

G League Ignite forward Tyler Smith turned pro at age 16, opting to skip his final two years of a high school career to sign with Overtime Elite (OTE) in 2021.

Today, he’s among the pool of G League players selected to participate in the 2024 Panini Rising Stars at NBA All-Star Weekend, set to tip Friday, Feb. 16 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The 19-year-old recently caught up with NBA.com to discuss the circuitous route traversed to reach this point, his decision to forgo his last two years of high school, as well as goals for NBA All-Star weekend. Smith’s mother, Nishawn Mackey, also chimes in to explain her refusal to let youth league coaches force her son to play exclusively in the post during his formative years.

The following 1-on-1 conversation has been condensed and edited.

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NBA.com: You’re not even in the league yet. But you’re about to be a part of NBA All-Star weekend. What does it mean and what are your goals and objectives for this trip? What are you hoping to get out of all of this?

Smith: Really, just to bond with some of the dudes I’m going to be in the league with next year, and just get the experience of All-Star weekend early. There are some people in my class that are still in college while I’m playing in the Rising Stars game. So, that’s pretty cool for me.

Are there any matchups you’re looking forward to?

Probably like the [Thompson] twins or [Utah Jazz rookie] Keyonte [George], just dudes that I grew up [in Texas] playing against.

What were your first thoughts when you received the invitation to play in the Rising Stars Challenge?

I wasn’t surprised, but I was excited just because I set this goal before I came here. The goal I set was to make the Rising Stars Game, [become a] G League All-Star, stuff like that. So, just to be able to do that goal felt good for me.

What are you hearing about where you might be drafted and what you need to do between now and then to be selected where you want to be? (Smith’s currently No. 18 in ESPN’s 2024 NBA Draft rankings)

I think I’m at 10 through 20 right now. But for me to get where I want to be, [I need to] just show I can switch more on defense. I feel like [the improvement I need to make] is more on the defensive side because my offensive game is pretty set. Defense, if I could show I can switch more positions, then I feel like I shouldn’t be drafted lower than [20].

It’s out of your control in terms of what team drafts you, but what are you hoping for from the franchise that ultimately does select you?

I just hope I get drafted to a franchise that just let’s me not just play my game because a rookie doesn’t just get handed the keys. But [I’d like] a good point guard, good veteran just to show me the ways of the league.

You were a five-star recruit in high school (George Bush in Richmond, TX), and you left high school – not college – early. Why?

Basketball 24-7 sounded great at the time. We had NBA scouts and we had NBA coaches in there (with OTE) just working us out and stuff. So, I didn’t think it could get better than that. Instead of being in math for an hour, then [going] to English next, and then [having] to go to gym fifth period, [I could] just stay in there [and work]. I’m good.

Did your family tell you that you were out of your mind for making such a life-altering decision at such a young age? You signed with OTE at 16, just three months shy of your 17th birthday. It takes a lot of courage and belief in yourself to make a decision like that.

Yeah. I really just wanted to go to the NBA. That was my main goal. Whatever it takes to get to the NBA, that was what I was going to do. So, training all the time, that was just a reason. My mom was with it. Anything I wanted to do, she would just go with it or [say], “Tyler are you sure? Are you gonna stay focused?’” I just said, “yes.” So, she just went with it and let me do it.

What was the adjustment to the pro game like for you coming in at 16 playing against essentially grown men?

There’s no comparison really from high school to here. The difference of game pace is way different. OTE played fast. But here [with G League Ignite] you do it fast, strong, all that, game moving up and down 24-7. It took me a minute to get adjusted, but I’m getting the hang of it now. It’s really the mental part, just staying engaged the whole time. Because one mess up, and that’s a bucket on your head. If you look the other way one time, somebody cuts backdoor. [If you] mess up a screen coverage, the whole defensive thing is just messed up.

You’re 6-foot-11 and can play under the basket and on the perimeter. You’re the type of player that everybody considers to be the future of the NBA. How does that feel?

It feels pretty good, but I’m not there yet. So, I can’t really tell. That’s the goal: just to be one of the future stars of the league. Being able to shoot at my size, I feel like that gives me a [leg] up on some people. Not a lot of people can move like me or shoot like me at my size.

Your mother, Nishawn Mackey, had a lot to do with that, right?

When I was in fifth grade, they tried to put me in the post for the first two years of me playing with my AAU team. She [said], “Nah, the game is changing. Don’t put him in the post.” My favorite player was KD (Kevin Durant). So, she would “He’s that tall and he’s not playing in the post. So, I don’t want him playing in the post.”

No offense, Tyler, but let’s get your mother, Nishawn in here for a second. Ms. Mackey, what made you feel like Tyler needed to not play in the post when he was just a youngster?

Mackey: I just love sports and have a family of sports fans. I always watched and studied the game. Tyler was always bigger than everybody. He was always predicted to be 6-foot-11, 7-feet with the growth charts. But I didn’t want them to hold him out, just standing in the middle tossing him the ball down [low] when he can shoot. He can dribble the ball. Especially in AAU, this was not [his] final destination. He has a skillset. He’s gonna utilize it. I just always saw it in him. I’m not saying that he didn’t have to play the post. But that’s just not the only thing y’all are gonna let him do. He wanted to be an all-around player.

He even admitted about it three months ago. He , “Man, if they would’ve just kept me in the post, I would’ve been fried.” Those were the best words I’ve probably heard in my whole life. He used to get mad when he was younger, saying, “Don’t say anything. Don’t worry about it.” I [responded] “No, display your skillset.”

Back to Tyler. You’re 19 years old, but it seems like you’ve been on quite the journey so far. What would it mean for you and your family to finally accomplish this dream of making it into the NBA?

It’ll be a relief because I’ve been not really stressing, but just anxious to get it all over with, get drafted and get into the league so I can basically start over, start working harder, and try to become a star in the league.

That was the next question. You do realize that the work really doesn’t start until after you get drafted. You ready for that?

Yep. Because dudes are just gonna get stronger and faster. And everybody is good in the league. So, I’ve got to be ready.

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Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X. 

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