Philadelphia 76ers Rookie Report: Zhaire Smith made NBA debut

The Philadelphia 76ers rookies had an eventful week. The G-League season ended and now every rookie has played in the NBA this season.

This past week, the Philadelphia 76ers G-League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, ended with a back-to-back contest. The team’s rookies finished the Blue Coats season on a strong note and most of them even received some burn with the Sixers after the G-League season was finished.

16th pick, 2018

Zhaire Smith had back-to-back double-digit outings with the Blue Coats, including a career high 19 point outing against the Long Island Nets. He also had a 12 point outing against the Maine Red Claws. That wasn’t even the highlight of Smith’s week. He finally made the Sixers debut against the Orlando Magic and hit his first 3-pointer of his career.

.@zhaire_smith scores his first points as a 76er! #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/pM8nBfn72q
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 26, 2019

He finished with three points, one rebound and one steal against Orlando. It’s great to see Smith finally made his debut despite all the issues he went through for most of the season. His playing time will be situational moving forward. If there is a blowout going on, there’s a chance he will get playing time.

Season stats: 76ers

Per Game Table
Season	Age	Tm	Pos	G	GS	MP	FG%	3P%	2P%	eFG%	FT%	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
2018-19	19	PHI	SG	1	0	6.0	1.000	1.000		1.500		1.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.0
Career				1	0	6.0	1.000	1.000		1.500		1.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.0

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/29/2019.

Season stats: Blue Coats

Per Game Table
Season	Tm	G	GS	MP	FG%	3P%	2P%	FT%	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
2018-19	DEL	11	5	22.6	.410	.200	.500	.667	3.0	1.5	0.3	0.6	1.5	2.2	7.2
Career		11	5	22.6	.410	.200	.500	.667	3.0	1.5	0.3	0.6	1.5	2.2	7.2

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/29/2019.

36th pick, 2017

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After not playing with the Blue Coats since December, Jonah Bolden joined the G-League club for their final two games of the season. Despite spending the last several months with the Sixers, Bolden’s game still has some holes in it even on the G-League level. In those two games he averaged 13.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, 3.5 turnovers and 3.0 fouls. The fouls and turnovers are a major area of concern moving forward.

He did get some garbage time at the end of the blowout loss against the Magic and played well. He had three points and one assist in seven minutes. Boban Marjanovic has solidified his position as the primary backup big man, especially with the emergence of his 3-point shot, so the need for Bolden on the floor is minimal for the time.

Season stats: 76ers

Per Game Table
Season	Age	Tm	Pos	G	GS	MP	FG%	3P%	2P%	eFG%	FT%	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
2018-19	23	PHI	PF	38	6	13.0	.500	.338	.725	.598	.476	3.4	0.8	0.4	0.9	0.8	2.2	4.1
Career				38	6	13.0	.500	.338	.725	.598	.476	3.4	0.8	0.4	0.9	0.8	2.2	4.1

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/29/2019.

Season stats: Blue Coats

Per Game Table
Season	Tm	G	GS	MP	FG%	3P%	2P%	FT%	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
2018-19	DEL	8	8	31.0	.417	.346	.490	.545	11.8	3.3	1.5	0.8	3.0	3.3	15.3
Career		8	8	31.0	.417	.346	.490	.545	11.8	3.3	1.5	0.8	3.0	3.3	15.3

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/29/2019.

54th pick, 2018

Shake Milton has easily had the best week among the team’s rookies. He received legit minutes against the Magic and the Brooklyn Nets this week. Not only did he get playing time, he made the most of it. In those two games with the Sixers he averaged 8.5 points on 72.7 percent shooting from the floor.

Besides having a great week in the NBA, Milton finished his season with the Blue Coats very strong as well. In the last two games he averaged 25.5 points on 45.9 percent shooting from the field. Milton recently received praise for his work with the Blue Coats from fellow teammate Jimmy Butler.

“He’s shined. You can tell he was working when he was down there [in the @nbagleague with the @Blue_Coats].”@JimmyButler talking about @SniperShake’s play and progression this season. #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/VbtfhkXAEE
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 27, 2019

For a blue collar guy like Butler to give that type of praise to Milton is a positive sign about the rookie’s progress and work ethic.

Season stats: 76ers

Per Game Table
Season	Age	Tm	Pos	G	GS	MP	FG%	3P%	2P%	eFG%	FT%	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
2018-19	22	PHI	SG	15	0	11.0	.491	.379	.607	.588	.800	1.5	0.9	0.3	0.3	0.3	1.2	4.7
Career				15	0	11.0	.491	.379	.607	.588	.800	1.5	0.9	0.3	0.3	0.3	1.2	4.7

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/29/2019.

Season stats: Blue Coats

Per Game Table
Season	Tm	G	GS	MP	FG%	3P%	2P%	FT%	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
2018-19	DEL	27	27	34.7	.484	.369	.535	.810	4.9	4.9	1.1	0.5	2.6	2.8	24.9
Career		27	27	34.7	.484	.369	.535	.810	4.9	4.9	1.1	0.5	2.6	2.8	24.9

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/29/2019.

Undrafted, 2018

Haywood Highsmith was the only rookie that didn’t get any playing time with Philly this past week, but did had a solid finish to his season with Delaware. He averaged 11.5 points and 7.5 rebounds, while making 3-8 3-pointers in those two games. It will be interesting to see if Highsmith can crack the rotation for the Sixers before the end of the season.

Season stats: Blue Coats

Per Game Table
Season	Tm	G	GS	MP	FG%	3P%	2P%	FT%	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
2018-19	DEL	46	42	32.3	.430	.338	.506	.667	6.8	2.5	1.2	0.5	1.7	2.0	12.2
Career		46	42	32.3	.430	.338	.506	.667	6.8	2.5	1.2	0.5	1.7	2.0	12.2

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/29/2019.

Now that the G-League season has ended, playing time will be less frequent for the Philadelphia 76ers rookies. It’s good to see positives with the development in regards to Milton and Smith this past week.