This is the beginning of a new series by Sixers Wire to pass the time for everybody for the All-Star break. We’re going to take a look back at the 3 goals series from the offseason and see how each player has done in achieving those goals as well as give them a rating on how their season has gone. The rating will be based on a scale of 10 with 10 being how their season has gone based on the goals.
After a look at Marial Shayok’s and Norvel Pelle’s seasons, we now turn to Zhaire Smith. The second season for Smith has not been kind to him He lost a chance at a rotation spot due to the sudden emergence of rookie Matisse Thybulle and that has set him back a bit.
Smith’s 3 goals from the offseason were to earn a rotation spot, but that has not worked out for him:
Starting fast
Smith did not do so as he was sent down to the G League to begin the season with the Delaware Blue Coats while Thybulle was flourishing with the Sixers. On top of that, Smith was then outshined by another rookie in Shayok who has had a great season fro Delaware in his first season. It appears that Smith has a ton of work to do to reach the next level in his development.
Now that he is up with the Sixers, the challenge for Smith is to continue to try and learn new things the rest of the way. He needs to gather up all of the experiences and learn from them in order to come back stronger in the 2020-21 season and try again to earn a spit. Whether that is with the Sixers remains to be seen.
Getting defensive
Smith’s calling card coming out of college was his defense, but he has not been able to make an impact on that end of the floor yet in his NBA career. He has had flashes and has been able to show some potential, but it hasn’t been enough to keep things going in his favor. Even at the G League level, he has not been able to make a real impact.
Proving yourself
This is something Smith has struggled with. We don’t really know what he is yet and it’s deep into his second season in the league. Is he a 3-and-D player? Is he strictly defense? Is he a 3-point shooter? These are all questions that need to be answered. He still has time to answer all of those questions as he is still only 20-years old, but he might have to answer those questions with a different organization.
A comparison can be Markelle Fultz who is beginning to have a solid career with the Orlando Magic after a tough start in Philadelphia. Orlando is a small market and there isn’t as much pressure on Fultz as there was in Philly. Maybe Smith needs that type of small market to try and revive his career a little bit.
Rating: 3/10 [lawrence-related id=25736,25725,25709]