On the night of the 2018 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Villanova prospect Mikal Bridges with their first-round pick. Not too long after making the call to Bridges, the Sixers flipped the Villanova standout to the Phoenix Suns for the 16th overall pick and a future first-rounder.
The Sixers received former Texas Tech wing, Zhaire Smith, from the Suns in the deal. Despite being a young and raw prospect, there were high hopes surrounding Smith. Unfortunately, Smith struggled to stay healthy for the 76ers from the jump.
In August of 2018, Smith suffered a fractured foot, which required surgery to repair. During his recovery, Smith also had a severe allergic reaction, which caused a significant scare. It was unclear if Smith would make his NBA debut during his true rookie year at first, but later on during the 2018-2019 season, Smith finally took the court.
The young prospect appeared in just six games for the 76ers in 2019. Then during his sophomore effort, the Sixers utilized Smith down in the G League for a majority of the year. He would only play in seven games for the Sixers during the 2019-2020 season. And before the 2019-2020 season resumed in the Florida bubble, Smith remained home as he was recovering from an injury.
Going into his third NBA season, Smith found himself traded to the Detroit Pistons and was soon waived. While he signed with the Memphis Grizzlies the following month, he was waived quickly. Since then, Smith hasn’t seen the court. Back in March, he revealed why.
As Smith has been feeling a lot better physically, he’s gearing up to make a return to the court with the Texas Tech alumni team in The Tournament, the Air Raiders announced on Wednesday.
The Tournament will offer the 22-year-old an opportunity to showcase his skill set for those who forgot about him. While it will be a tough road to get back to the NBA, the opportunity to begin competing again for many to see will be a good start for the former first-round pick.
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