The 76ers – intentionally and unintentionally – keep finding first-round picks injured before their rookie seasons.
Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons… and now Zhaire Smith.
76ers:
A medical update on Zhaire Smith: pic.twitter.com/YQMfJRh5YX
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) August 7, 2018
This is obviously extremely vague, but the injury is significant enough Philadelphia announced it.
Smith had a chance to challenge veteran Wilson Chandler for minutes behind Robert Covington at small forward. But considering Smith’s youth and raw skill set, an immediate rotation role would have likely signaled Chandler’s decline.
Even if Smith is set back just during offseason training, this makes it even less likely he receives regular playing time to begin the season.