Overtime Elite forward Tyler Smith signed a one-year contract with G League Ignite, according to a Friday article from On3Sports National Recruiting Expert Joe Tipton.
“Smith averaged 15.7 points, eight rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game this season, playing for the Cold Hearts at OTE,” wrote Tipton. “He shot 63-percent from the field and 29-percent from three.”
Tyler Smith signed with Overtime Elite in 2021.
“This is different and new,” Smith said in 2021, via ESPN NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony. “I wanted to be a pro already, working on stuff that NBA players work on. In high school, you can't work out as much as they do at OTE.”
Tyler Smith will become the seventh player to join G League Ignite in this cycle, according to Tipton. Guard Ron Holland, who de-committed from Texas in late April, told ESPN he would play for G League Ignite next season on Wednesday.
Forward Matas Buzelis, a five-star recruit from Wichita, Kan., signed with G League Ignite on the same day. The 6-foot-9-inch forward had offers from Florida State, Kentucky, Wake Forest, Arizona, Duke, North Carolina, UCLA and Illinois, according to 247Sports.
“It's a dream come true to join Ignite,” Buzelis said in a Wednesday release. “I have the opportunity to develop in a professional system as I continue to strive toward my goal of playing in the NBA. I look forward to joining the team in Henderson and getting to work.
“I want to thank my coaches, trainers and teammates for preparing me for this opportunity. I also want to thank my family for their endless love and support throughout my journey.”
Overtime Elite finished the 2022-23 season with a record of 11 – 21 behind the scoring of guard John Jenkins, forward Leonard Miller and guard Scoot Henderson. Henderson was taken with the No. 3 pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in NBA.com's consensus mock draft.