Sixers guard Zhaire Smith will not travel to Disney World for the resumption of the NBA’s season, according to the team.
Smith has a bone bruise in his left knee. He was experiencing pain in the knee prior to the Sixers resuming workouts last week. He’s expected to make a full recovery.
A first-round pick in 2018, Smith missed most of his rookie season after suffering a Jones fracture in his foot and then dealing with a serious allergic reaction. He’s played in just 13 career NBA games, including seven this season. It seemed unlikely that he'd see meaningful minutes in the eight seeding games or playoffs.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Smith spent the bulk of the year playing in the G-League for the Delaware Blue Coats. The athletic 21-year-old showed signs of improvement. He averaged 13.5 points and hit 37.6 percent of his threes in 28 games with the Blue Coats.
Since Smith will be out because of injury and not because of a positive COVID-19 test or opting out of playing, the Sixers will not be able to make a corresponding roster move.
Subscribe and rate Sixers Talk: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | Art19 | YouTube
Click here to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.