Philadelphia 76ers first round pick Zhaire Smith suffered a fractured left foot at a developmental camp in Las Vegas. He will undergo surgery to repair the damage.
Sources: Philadelphia 76ers rookie Zhaire Smith has suffered a fractured left foot. Smith, the No. 16 pick in the Draft, hurt his foot on Monday in Las Vegas during a developmental camp for NBA players.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 7, 2018
Charania of rushhourdaily.com Sports also added that “Smith had MRI/imaging in Philadelphia today revealing a Jones fracture—with surgery scheduled for later this week. He also will see another specialist in Philadelphia.”
Smith was selected 16th overall by the Phoenix Suns before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Mikal Bridges. After the trade, he signed a $2.5 million contract, which is guaranteed for his first two years with team options in the two after. This is an excellent addition for a 76er team vying to make the NBA Finals next season.
Smith is a freak athlete. At the 2018 NBA Draft Combine, Zhaire finished 1st among forwards in standing vertical leap (33.0 inches), max vertical leap (41.5 inches), three-quarter sprint (3.05 seconds), as well as 5th in lane agility (11.02 seconds).
"It's supposed to be a regular play, and then he makes it a spectacular one. I think that's @zhaire_smith to a T."
? » https://t.co/cGQYg9UtEf | #Summer76 pic.twitter.com/R5KT7jIJUO
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) August 1, 2018
He will join Joel Embiid on the 76ers who believes this injury may be a part of a pattern since multiple first-round picks by the team such as Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, and himself have sustained severe injuries upon arriving in Philly:
CURSE #NUTS
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) August 7, 2018
There is currently no timetable for his return, but according to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com, “The usual quote on recovery time you’ll hear is about six to eight weeks (and frequently ends up longer when accounting for return to NBA-level fitness) but as we saw in Simmons’ case, a lot of it can come down to how conservatively the team wants to handle the problem.”
The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 11.3 points and 1.8 assists in his single season at Texas Tech, earning a spot on the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team and the Big 12 All-Defensive team. He also appeared in six summer league games for the Sixers, posting 7.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 24.7 minutes per game in that span.
Featured Image Via Flickr/Michael Tipton
