Philadelphia 76ers rookie guard Zhaire Smith reportedly broke his foot during a workout in Las Vegas on Monday.
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
Smith was the No. 16 pick in the NBA Draft, originally taken by the Phoenix Suns but moved to the 76ers in a draft night deal that sent Phoenix the tenth overall pick, Mikal Bridges, in exchange for Smith and a 2021 Miami Heat first round pick.
Smith’s injury was confirmed as a fracture after an MRI. There is not yet a timetable for his return.
If nothing else, Zhaire now fits in great with his Sixers teammates. Pretty much every recent Sixers first round pick has missed extensive time in their first season(s) due to injuries, most of them being lower half injuries.
Joel Embiid missed his first two seasons with injuries. Nerlens Noel missed his first year recovering from a torn ACL. Jahlil Okafor missed 29 games with a meniscus issue. Dario Saric took a long time to come over from Europe. Ben Simmons missed his first year with a Jones fracture, and Markelle Fultz played in only 14 games because of a shoulder injury and being bad.
Hopefully Smith’s injury isn’t too bad and he is back in time for the regular season, but the Sixers are well-equipped to compete without him in the lineup if he needs to take extensive time to recover.
Featured Image via Flickr/Michael Tipton
