Team: Detroit Pistons · Age: 25 · Position: C · As of: 2026-07-18
2026-27 median projection
| GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 7.0 | .570 | .680 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
Nine-cat: no-draft; rebounds/FG% emergency stream. Points: D. Dynasty: 4.5/10 in deep formats.
Role and evidence
Smith appeared in 15 games and averaged 3.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.9 assists, according to Detroit's official roster page. The club converted him to a standard NBA contract on April 7, documented in the 2025-26 team game notes, and NBA.com's options ledger lists his 2026-27 option as exercised.
Smith's secure standard status improves roster confidence, not rotation confidence. Reed is the preferred backup on per-minute steals/blocks, and Collins can cover center. Smith is the first conventional rebounding replacement if Detroit wants size rather than switchability.
Range
- Ceiling: 15 MPG after frontcourt absences, roughly six points and five rebounds on strong FG%.
- Floor: fewer than 20 appearances and mostly garbage-time work.
Career record
Pre-NBA: Freshman year at Western Kentucky (Conference USA), 2018-19: 3.3 points, 2.6 rebounds. Transferred to Mississippi State (SEC), sat 2019-20 under transfer rules, then played 2020-21 through 2023-24. Best seasons were 2022-23, when he started all 34 games at 15.7 points and led the SEC at 57.2% from the field, and 2023-24 at roughly 15 points and 8 rebounds. First-team All-SEC in 2023 and 2024; Howell Trophy in 2023. Draft: undrafted (2024). Two G League seasons with the Motor City Cruise produced 18.5 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 blocks in 43 games.
| Season | Age | Team | GP | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG% | FT% | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 24 | DET | 1 | 22.0 | 14.0 | 8.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .667 | .667 | — |
| 2025-26 | 25 | DET | 15 | 9.1 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.0 | .500 | .667 | 0.5 |
| Career | 16 | 9.9 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.0 | .533 | .667 | — |
Sixteen NBA games is not a record; it is a sample. The 2024-25 row is a single appearance, the season finale against Milwaukee, in which he went for 14 and 8. Read the G League line as the actual production evidence.
Durability: 1 and 15 games. Neither total is injury-related — Detroit waived him in October 2024, sent him to the Cruise, then signed him to a two-way in January 2025 and converted him to a two-year standard contract on April 7, 2026 with the second year non-guaranteed. He missed his 2019-20 college season to transfer rules and started only 20 games as a junior while managing injuries.
Trajectory: A conventional five who rebounds and finishes and does nothing else, now with roster security but no rotation claim. Detroit prefers Paul Reed's per-minute steals and blocks as the backup and can slide John Collins to center for switchability, so Smith is the third or fourth option and specifically the one Detroit reaches for when it wants size rather than mobility. He becomes fantasy-relevant only if Jalen Duren misses extended time and Reed is also unavailable — a two-injury path — and even then the ceiling is roughly 15 minutes for six points and five rebounds on good percentages, with no threes and negligible assists.
Career sources: StatMuse 2025-26 season averages · Wikipedia · RealGM profile · NBA.com player page
Open questions
- Is Smith ahead of Onyenso when Detroit needs a third center?
- Does Duren's unresolved contract create a temporary camp opportunity?
- Can Smith defend in space well enough to remain active against modern benches?