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Milwaukee Bucks Invite Spartans 6-foot-7 Senior, Former Omaha Star to Summer League 1 Oct 17, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Tyler Smith (21) grabs the ball during the first half against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Milwaukee Bucks: Rising 2nd-Year Player Isn’t Helping His Case with Poor Summer League Play

Originally posted on WI Sports Heroics | By John Sbisa | Last updated Jul 14, 2025 12:16 PM ET

The Milwaukee Bucks have their 15-man roster nearly set for the regular season. While one promising young forward is all but guaranteed a spot, his Summer League showing isn’t helping his case for more playing time next season.

Tyler Smith must translate promise to points

With one game left on the Summer League slate, through the first three the Bucks, now 1-2, haven’t looked great – but who cares, it’s Summer League. Far more relevant than wins or losses is raw individual performance.

It hasn’t been pretty for sophomore Tyler Smith, a 20-year-old power forward for whom the organization has high hopes. Fans are looking to see progress in year two after he played minimally as a rookie. Part of that depends on how much rope Doc Rivers gives his young guys, but they also have to earn the opportunity. Smith has not made a good first impression heading into next season.

A member of the Summer Bucks’ starting five, he has simply not found his 3-point shot: he is 1-18 beyond the arc, averaging 5.7 points per game. He did come up with four blocks versus Cleveland, showcasing impressive effort on defense. Summer League isn’t the time to draw conclusions. In the final game, though, it would be nice to see Smith discover some offensive rhythm.

He has real promise. Although he barely played for the Bucks in 2024-25, Smith scored 20 points in the season finale against Detroit, going 6-9 from the field and 4-6 on threes. He made 13 of his 30 long-range attempts on the season. If he shows he deserves it, there is space for him in the rotation.

Milwaukee Bucks: Rising 2nd-Year Player Isn't Helping His Case with Poor Summer League Play 2 Feb 18, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Team ELY guard Trevelin Queen (21) of the Osceola Magic shoots the ball over Team Strictly forward Tyler Smith (11) of the G League Ignite during the G-League Next Up game at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Milwaukee Bucks fans wanted more Smith last season, but he’ll have to prove himself

At 6-foot-9, Smith is a bit large for small forward, but in a rotation composed of Kyle Kuzma and Taurean Prince, he has a chance to glean some minutes there in 2025-26. His range makes him a better roster fit than the former; he provides more athleticism and rebonding than the latter. He just has to develop. He could also playing time at his natural position, but the depth chart is clogged at the four.

The Bucks don’t have a huge sample size of Smith in live action. In addition to 23 games in Milwaukee last year (5.3 MPG), he spent time with the G League affiliate Wisconsin Herd. While capable, the no. 33 draft pick was hardly dominant. He actually put up better scoring numbers with the G League Ignite before the Bucks drafted him in 2024.

Against sub-NBA competition, whether in Wisconsin games or Summer League, he needs to prove himself a level above the field before Rivers has any obligation to trot him out on the Bucks.

This article first appeared on WI Sports Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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