Zhaire Smith
The 76ers’ rookie guard, Zhaire Smith, just got assigned to the Sixers G-League affiliate, Delaware Blue Coats, to finish off his recovery from foot surgery to finally make his NBA debut in the coming weeks. It is not known exactly when Smith will return but the guess is that it will be around a month.
Zhaire Smith also fills many gaps on the Sixers. He was drafted due to his stellar perimeter defense, his ability to guard multiple positions, and his craftiness in slashing and finishing around the rim.
The Sixers don’t have any athletic guards who can speed by defenders and dunk on a defenders’ head besides Ben Simmons and Zhaire Smith. Defensively, Smith can defend positions 1-3. The Texas Tech product even has experience defending in the post due to him playing power forward in college, only being about 6-foot-5.
Whenever Smith makes his debut for the Sixers, the expectations will not be high but the rookie just needs to get into NBA shape and adjust to the game by playoff time, where he could provide valuable minutes off the bench.