NBA Draft prospect Zhaire Smith projects to be an offensive Andre Roberson

Rylan Stiles

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 25: Zhaire Smith #2 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders attempts to dunk the ball against Mikal Bridges #25 of the Villanova Wildcats during the second half in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional at TD Garden on March 25, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

NBA Draft, Zhaire Smith — BOSTON, MA – MARCH 25: Villanova guard Jalen Brunson (1) drives into Texas Tech guard Zhaire Smith (2) during an Elite Eight matchup between the Villanova Wildcats and the Texas Tech Red Raiders on March 25, 2018, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Wildcats defeated the Red Raiders 71-59. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

NBA Draft lottery hopeful Zhaire Smith is out to prove he is more than just an athletic defender

Zhaire Smith had an amazing freshman year, and decided to enter the 2018 NBA Draft. His Texas Tech Red Raiders shocked everyone when they finished their 2017-18 campaign on a 27-10 record, and garnered an elite eight trip.

The most impressive win that season for Zhaire Smith and the Red Raiders, had to be their first Big 12 win of the season. Zhaire Smith lead his squad into battle in the toughest place to play in college basketball, Allen Field House.

Against the Kansas Jayhawks, Smith posted 11-points off the bench, 5-rebounds, and a key block in the Red Raiders 85-73 road win.

The Specifics:

Height: 6’5
Weight: 195
Wingspan: 6’9.75
Position: Wing
Age: 19
College: Texas Tech
Stat-line: 11-points, 5-rebounds, 1.8-assists, 1-block, 1-steal
Hometown: Garland, Texas

Skills:

Zhaire Smith is an outstanding rebounder from the wing spot, crashing the glass at an unreal rate. Defensively he has the ability to keep up with both shooting guards, and small forwards with a special swatting ability. Zhaire Smith has outstanding basketball IQ, along with the aforementioned rebounds, he rarely turns the ball over and constantly takes high percentage shots.

Smith shot 55-percent from the field, and 45-percent from the college 3-point line. Zhaire Smith added a true shooting percentage of 61-percent, with an effective field goal percentage of 58-percent. One of the biggest skills he has, is his ability to finish at the rim. Lastly, Zhaire Smith took home a .084-defensive-win-share which puts into perspective how good he truly was defensively.

Weaknesses:

While Zhaire Smith will make teams extremely happy defensively, he will struggle to stroke it from distance. Smith projects to shoot just 33-percent from 3-point land in the NBA. His Texas Tech team rarely ran offense through him, which is strange for such a talented basketball player.

He has just an 18-percent usage rate. His scoring needs to improve, drastically. 11-points per game while getting picked in the lottery–or close to it–will not sit well with teams and fans. However, even that offensive weakness is somewhat negated by his tremendous defense.

NBA Combine:

Zhaire Smith was jaw-dropping at the NBA combine in Chicago earlier this offseason. He reached a MAX Vertical of 41.5-inches, good enough for third in that category. Smith came in at fourth in the standing vertical leap with a 33-inch leap.

Awards and Honors:

2017-18 USBWA All-District 7 First Team
2018 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (Coaches/AP)
2018 All-Big 12 Newcomer Team
2017-18 All-Big 12 Defensive Team

Ball-handling and dunking drill at Zhaire Smith's Pro Day in Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/U69FB8oJMr
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 31, 2018

Pro Comparisons:

Zhaire Smith is getting compared to a shooting Andre Roberson, Danny Green, and Norman Powell in the eyes of many. The most on-the-money-comparison to me, is an offensive Andre Roberson.

As previously mentioned, it does not look like Smith will be a very good three point shooter, but with backdoor cuts, mid-range jumpers, and just using his pure athleticism Smith will still be a productive player offensively.

In the right system, with the right coaching, he can also become an outstanding defender, like Andre Roberson of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

NBA Draft Ranking:

Would Zhaire Smith fit in Oklahoma City?

The Oklahoma City Thunder do not have a first round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. However, if Zhaire Smith falls to the end of the first round, there is a chance Thunder GM Sam Presti could package a pair of second round picks and cash consideration for a late-first-rounder.

Would it make sense to go after Zhaire Smith? No.

Zhaire Smith, in all likelihood will be a very good player in this league, he just does not fit in Oklahoma City.

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The OKC Thunder desperately need spacing, and without an ability to shoot, Smith would have to work from the mid-range and down, packing the paint even more. The Thunder have too many guys like Zhaire Smith, very good defenders who can not shoot. Look at Andre Roberson, and Jerami Grant for starters.