Former Sixer Zhaire Smith Will Resume Playing After Battling Injury
On the night of the 2018 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Villanova prospect Mikal Bridges with their first-round pick. Not too long after making the call to Bridges, the Sixers flipped the Villanova standout to the Phoenix Suns for the 16th overall pick and a future first-rounder.
The Sixers received former Texas Tech wing, Zhaire Smith, from the Suns in the deal. Despite being a young and raw prospect, there were high hopes surrounding Smith. Unfortunately, Smith struggled to stay healthy for the 76ers from the jump.
In August of 2018, Smith suffered a fractured foot, which required surgery to repair. During his recovery, Smith also had a severe allergic reaction, which caused a significant scare. It was unclear if Smith would make his NBA debut during his true rookie year at first, but later on during the 2018-2019 season, Smith finally took the court.
The young prospect appeared in just six games for the 76ers in 2019. Then during his sophomore effort, the Sixers utilized Smith down in the G League for a majority of the year. He would only play in seven games for the Sixers during the 2019-2020 season. And before the 2019-2020 season resumed in the Florida bubble, Smith remained home as he was recovering from an injury.
Going into his third NBA season, Smith found himself traded to the Detroit Pistons and was soon waived. While he signed with the Memphis Grizzlies the following month, he was waived quickly. Since then, Smith hasn’t seen the court. Back in March, he revealed why.
As Smith has been feeling a lot better physically, he’s gearing up to make a return to the court with the Texas Tech alumni team in The Tournament, the Air Raiders announced on Wednesday.
The Tournament will offer the 22-year-old an opportunity to showcase his skill set for those who forgot about him. While it will be a tough road to get back to the NBA, the opportunity to begin competing again for many to see will be a good start for the former first-round pick.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
More Sixers News:
Holding Out Hope: Last week, it was reported the Los Angeles Lakers narrowed down their head coaching search to just three candidates. Although there were rumors the Lakers had interest in Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers, it was becoming increasingly unlikely Rivers would become available. While that remains the case, the Lakers are rumored to be clinging onto a bit of hope that scenario changes in the near future as they stall the process of hiring Frank Vogel’s replacement. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
All-Defensive Honors: Philadelphia 76ers’ third-year wing Matisse Thybulle has been named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second-Team for the second-straight season. Thybulle, who continues to rack up defensive accolades, has already become one of the league’s best perimeter defenders early on in his professional career. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
