NBA prospect Tyler Smith uses bowling to relieve pressures of draft

Gaming. Rapping and making beats. Golfing. Playing booray and poker games. Drinking wine. Driving luxury cars. Wearing the latest fashions.

While those are hobbies often associated with NBA players, draft prospect Tyler Smith enjoys a different lane. The former G League Ignite forward loves bowling.

“It’s important to have a hobby, a mental escape,” Smith told Andscape. “You’re playing basketball every day. Putting your body through it. You just want something to get your mind off of it that is a healthy hobby.”

Smith joined the Ignite in 2022 after playing two seasons for Overtime Elite and being ranked by ESPN as the eighth-best prep prospect in the Class of 2023. The 19-year-old averaged 13.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1 block per game while shooting 36.4% from 3-point range primarily as a reserve for the Ignite last season. An NBA source said the 6-foot-11, 224-pounder has worked out for more than 10 NBA teams, including the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets this past weekend.

Smith arrived in New York City on Monday and is excited to learn his draft fate this week. He has been projected as a late first-round to early second-round draft pick by ESPN.

“It’s very exciting. The other day I was just sitting in my room like, ‘Man, I’m really here.’ I was just dreaming about this two years ago wondering if this could happen,” Smith said.

While playing for the Ignite, Smith was often overshadowed by two projected NBA draft lottery picks, forwards Ron Holland and Matas Buzelis. Holland and Buzelis were invited to be among the 24 NBA draft prospects taking part in a media availability Tuesday. Smith was not. Smith also was not invited to the NBA draft’s green room Wednesday.

Smith is expected to sit in the stands at Barclays Center during the first round of the draft on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN/ESPN+). The second round is Thursday at the ESPN Seaport District Studio in New York City (4 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN/ESPN+).

“I’m just trying to show teams what they didn’t get to see in me this season,” Smith said. “Show what I can actually do, which is move well and hold my own against bigger and smaller opponents. So, I’m still trying to prove myself at this point.

“I’m a versatile shooter. Lob threat. Weakside shot blocker. I’m just a really versatile player who can play and guard multiple positions.”

It’s not uncommon for a draft prospect not invited to the green room to be selected in the first round. Such was the case for Los Angeles Lakers forward Taurean Prince, who was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft while sitting the Barclays Center stands. Smith said he hoped to prove to NBA teams how good he was during draft workouts and has “a little chip” from being overlooked.

ESPN NBA draft analyst Jonathan Givony ranked Smith as the 34th best draft prospect June 21. One NBA scout and Overtime Elite general manager Damien Wilkins said Smith could be a potential steal in the upcoming draft.

“He’s a young kid who can really shoot it,” the NBA scout told Andscape. “Good length. Can do a little bit of everything. He’s got a lot of upside because he is still learning how to play. You can tell he is getting by on instincts alone right now.

“When the game slows down for him and [he] really truly understands what is going on, what he needs to do and where he needs to be, his game is going to jump up to another level. I like him. He gives good effort and has great size.”

“When you look at Tyler, you can quickly see what an asset he will be to any NBA team. His frame, his ability to shoot the 3. But he also finds his way to the basket,” Wilkins said. “He’s a unicorn, and quite frankly a sleeper in this draft. In the two years I spent with Tyler, his mental maturity over that time is what stands out to me. And that growth is what will set him up for a long career in the NBA.”

To take the pressure off his NBA dreams and have fun during his down time, Smith said he seeks out a bowling alley wherever he is.

Smith fell in love with bowling randomly two years ago while trying the sport in Houston with some friends. He instantly loved the challenge that the game presented. The laidback teenager also saw it as a cool, low-key hobby to take part in with or without friends.

“I was pretty good at it off the rip. So, I mean, I stuck with it,” Smith said. “It was just fun. The bond with our friends is to bring out competitiveness instead of just playing basketball all day. Just getting my mind off basketball and the stress of it.”

While basketball is always Smith’s main focus, his quick love of bowling drove him to start going twice a week when he had the time.

Smith found bowling alleys in Atlanta when he played for Overtime Elite. He took advice from avid bowlers he met at alley on how to throw and spin the ball. While playing for the Ignite in Henderson, Nevada, last season, he was a regular at the Strike Zone Bowling Center. He brings his own snacks because he doesn’t want the nachos, hot dogs and candy often offered at the alley. He even sought out a bowling alleys on the road during the G League season, including one he enjoyed at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk on a road trip against the G League Santa Cruz Warriors.

While training for the NBA draft in Santa Barbara, Smith has been going to Bowlero during his free time.

“It is just fun. It is not something I have to worry about getting super-good at or have to worry about, ‘Oh, if I don’t do this right, somebody’s taking my place,’ ” Smith said. “I just get my mind off everything. Just another sport really just to play.”

Smith says he has even bowled over 170 regularly. Perhaps the biggest challenge he faces bowling at new alleys is that they do not have his size 16½ bowling shoes.

“They usually have shoes, but sometimes they don’t,” Smith said. “I have to wear my regular shoes or they say, ‘You can’t bowl here.’ They won’t let you bowl without the shoes. I was just like, ‘That’s crazy. I could just bowl in my regular shoes. It’s not a big deal.’ I should really buy my own bowling shoes and I need my own ball.”

Smith has been watching the NBA draft for the last six years, including last year in person. He said it was “crazy” for him to see players he grew up playing against and with, such as former Overtime Elite guards Amen and Ausar Thompson, get drafted last year. And for any NBA team considering selecting Smith, he had words about what to expect.

“For whatever team that drafts me, they’re getting a hard worker,” Smith said. “Somebody that is going to show up every day and give their all.”

Also, expect Smith to look for a new bowling alley wherever he lands.