[Highlight] Zhaire Smith scores the putback layup, and the announcer tells Zhaire’s jaw-dropping story of perseverance.
If you look at the draft he was in, he got traded for mikal bridges and a first round pick. Then he got sick and lost 60 pounds and has taken years to rebound. They compared him to kawhi in that draft.
Underrated part of the process Sixers story
The Sixers could’ve drafted Tatum and Bridges in consecutive years, giving them a starting five of Simmons, Redick, Bridges, Tatum and Embiid
They also could have had Brown. they could have been the ones to have Brown and Tatum but they chose Simmons and Fultz
I’m not sure they could’ve dragged Tatum. They traded up to get the #1 pick in that draft from the Celtics and I believe that the Celtics made that race conditional on them not drafting Tatum
he got traded for mikal bridges and a first round pick
cant hear you good vibes only JAYLEN BROWN IS A SIXER cant hear you cant hear you life is good everything is fine
Nothing against Zhaire personally, wish him well, but that trade was never going to look good imo, even if Zhaire never got that allergy that nearly killed him. Brett Brown just Jedi Mind Trick’d himself into thinking dude was Kawhi 2.0 for no reason
I didn’t like the trade when it happened as I wasn’t super high on Zhaire in that draft, but taking the comparison so literally is missing the point. They saw a player with great tools playing in a different context in college than he would in the NBA and developmental path that could make great progress into becoming a valuable player.
They also clearly laid out their reasoning for making the trade. Like I said I wasn’t super high on Zhaire so i didn’t agree but for them they could get a prospect they valued as much as bridges and pick up an unprotected pick. That is sound judgement.
Or maybe they shouldn’t have tried to big-brain it and just take the ready-made player in Mikal Bridges, whose profile was exactly what the team needed
After suffering through Pat Williams, if I hear another front office talk about “next Kawhi” I want them fired immediately
If the league hadnt forced Hinkie out then the head coach isnt role-playing a GM during this draft and none of this probably happens :)
I mean, I see the logic behind them making the move, but I can’t call it “sound judgment” if I don’t agree with their assessment, else I’d just call EVERY draft and roster move sound judgment.
Brett Brown and company took a risk on an athletic 6’4” guard that was a power forward in high school almost entirely reliant on athleticism and motor, and it flopped.
I know that it doesn’t matter, but it really sucked that they watched him play college and win a championship in Philadelphia, his mom worked for the 6ers, and they walked him up on the draft stage and had him put on a Philly hat, then traded him for an extra 1st. I get it in the grand scheme of things but really shows you that the league is all business. (Fun fact, the pick they got eventually made its way to OKC alongside SGA)
Yea I agree. I don’t know why people assume if you get injured you automatically would have been good without injuries. Anthony Bennett never got injured and he was never good so it isn’t like no injuries just means you turn out to be good.
He was a 6’4” PF in college who took almost no threes and wasn’t even a top 100 recruit. He was picked on a sample size of like 15 games in college where he showed out which is nothing.
yeah dude had insane athleticism, but calling a 6-3 guy who was super skilled at anything the next kawhi was beyond insane lmao
I absolutely loved him coming out of the draft. Sad to see what’s happened, hoping he can find a footing in the league
Was just wondering where he was at recently after the Knicks/Mikal won. Nice to see he’s still playing basketball and was able to get back in shape
Fun fact, the frp he was packaged with from Phoenix ended up being included in the OKC-LAC Paul George trade and turned into Tre Mann
Aka Machine Learning
That pick took quite the path before Tre Mann was selected.
It was originally Miami’s which was traded to Phoenix in Goran Dragic 3-team deal, then to Philly in Zhaire Smith-Mikal Bridges swap, then to LAC in Tobias Harris trade, then to OKC in Paul George trade.
I’m rooting for this guy, was like the only adult on the floor making solid plays while the team got smoked
Wow, I didn’t know this story. Amazing he’s still pursuing his dreams. Thanks for sharing, OP.
Hope he can land on a team. That’s in the Shaun Livingston realm of difficult comebacks.
Loved watching him at Texas Tech. He is definitely the type of player NBA teams like. Long, athletic, plays defense, and his 3PT shot really started coming along in college. Think he would’ve caught on if not for everything that happened. I hope it’s not too late for him.