Thanks to a broken foot and a severe allergic reaction, Zhaire Smith lost most of his rookie year to rehabilitation. Due to the fact and that Smith was already a raw prospect coming into the NBA, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown essentially viewed this season as the second-year guard’s rookie year.
That meant that Smith was sent down to the Sixers G-League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. Smith played down with the Blue Coats as he was coming back from his multiple health issues last season, but this season he wasn’t hampered from recovery and it showed.