The Philadelphia 76ers have recently revealed that their prized rookie from this past draft will have to wait longer to make his NBA debut.
Winning four out of the last five games is a positive trend for the Philadelphia 76ers, but even in the midst of this positive trend, there is still some encouraging news coming from the Sixers organization in regards to one players’ road to recovery. According to Derek Bonder of the Athletic, injured rookie Zhaire Smith‘s recovery hasn’t gone as planned.
Due to these complications Zhaire Smith has not yet resumed basketball related activities and his return to play timetable has been pushed back. He is unlikely to return prior to the new year, per a source. pic.twitter.com/jZQhnV1CKr
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) November 10, 2018
This isn’t the type of update that 76ers fans want to hear about a first round pick. It appears that the earliest Smith could make his debut would be sometime after the turn of the calendar year. Seeing as the thoracoscopy that Smith got was only suppose to hold him out for a maximum of three weeks, this is some disturbing news.
In the past, I wrote about how the thoracoscopy could make Smith’s timeline for a return uncertain and it seems like that has come to pass now. However, the fact that he still hasn’t resumed rehab for his foot surgery is very concerning. With an already uncertain timetable for a NBA debut, there’s the possibility that Smith may not play at all if he experiences any more significant set backs.
This setback doesn’t bode well for a team that just made a mega trade to land Jimmy Butler from the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Sixers sent out more players than they received in the deal to acquire the All-Star. The lack of depth created from this trade isn’t helped by Smith’s absence.
Smith’s health should continue to be the number one priority of the Philadelphia 76ers. While certainly any type of delay in recovery is frustrating for all parties involved, the Sixers need to make sure they continue to slowly bring along Smith’s rehab.