The Philadelphia 76ers were able to relax at the end of the regular season which allowed them to play their rookies extended minutes.
The Philadelphia 76ers were able to clinch the third seed of the Eastern Conference before the last two games of the regular season. That, in turn, allowed head coach Brett Brown to rest his starters and give his rookies some extra run at the end of the season.
16th pick, 2018
In the Sixers first matchup against the Chicago Bulls this past week, Zhaire Smith didn’t play well. He went 1-6 from the floor with 3-points, but he did end up starting the last two games of the regular season and played very well. He had 11 points against the Miami Heat on 50.0 percent shooting from the field. Smith ended up recording career highs with 17 points, four rebounds and five assists in the Sixers second matchup against the Bulls. He also made the highlight reel.
.@zhaire_smith got all the way 🆙@budweiserusa | #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/muLlN1L509
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 11, 2019
Smith’s performance this past week should make Brown seriously consider giving the rookie minutes in the playoffs.
Season stats: 76ers
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Generated 4/12/2019.
36th pick, 2017
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Minus foul trouble, Jonah Bolden had a solid outing in the first game against the Bulls, but failed to make a positive impact against the Heat. What made matters worse was that the rookie big man hurt his knee against Miami and didn’t return in that game. He also didn’t play in the final regular season game against Chicago.
This could prove to be problematic for the Sixers come playoff time. Besides getting into foul trouble occasionally, Bolden is the only backup center on the roster that isn’t a defensive liability. In certain scenarios, Brown will need Bolden to play backup center and Bolden needs to be healthy to do so.
Season stats: 76ers
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/12/2019.
54th pick, 2018
Shake Milton didn’t impress with his scoring ability at all this past week. He failed to shoot higher than 40.0 percent and didn’t crack double-digits at all. He was able to collect eight rebounds against the Heat and in the second matchup against the Bulls, he had three blocks and two steals. Due to this regular season being over, Milton won’t be able to suit up for the playoffs because of his two-way contract.
Season stats: 76ers
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/12/2019.
Undrafted, 2018
Haywood Highsmith failed to stand out this past week. He only played in the final two games of the regular season, but only scored four points on 2-5 shooting in 25 total minutes. Like Milton, Highsmith is ineligible for postseason play as well. It wouldn’t be surprising if the second game against the Bulls was Highsmith’s last in a 76ers uniform.
Season stats: 76ers
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/12/2019.
Unless there’s an update on Bolden’s knee, it appears that Smith will be the only rookie that will be able to play for the Philadelphia 76ers to begin the postseason. Smith and Bolden (when healthy) have shown enough this season to deserve some minutes during the playoffs.