The 76ers recently had a terrible draft night. After trading down, the team selected Markelle Fultz with the number one pick and then picked Zhaire Smith at numero dos. But after rumors of a trade for Kawhi Leonard from San Antonio started to surface, Philadelphia’s got cold feet and traded both players away in return for Dario Saric. The former Sixer is now playing center for his old club but it all seems like an epic disaster that should have been avoided by not drafting two prospects instead of just one.,
The 76ers’ “mcbride scouting report” is turning into a disaster. The team drafted one of the best players in the draft, but he was traded to the Phoenix Suns for Zhaire Smith, Mo Bamba and a 2020 first-round pick.
The Philadelphia 76ers are still having nightmares about the NBA Draft in 2018. The Sixers had outstanding Villanova big Mikal Bridges in their possession for little over an hour before trading him to the Phoenix Suns for high-flying Texas Tech guard Zhaire Smith.
Yes, the same Zhaire Smith who almost died a few months after the draft due to a serious allergic reaction and is now entirely retired from the NBA.
As if that wasn’t bad enough for the 76ers, Bridges is swiftly establishing himself as one of the league’s most feared defenders, exacerbating the team’s colossal pick miscalculation.
Trading for Zhaire Smith by the 76ers in 2018 was a huge blunder.
For the 76ers, drafting Bridges in 2018 nearly seemed like a no-brainer.
He grew up in Philadelphia, where his mother worked as the VP of Human Resources at Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, and where he won two NCAA championships at neighboring Villanova University. Philadelphia also need a great winger capable of hitting open threes, creating off the dribble, and guarding the opponent’s top player.
It was a match made in heaven.
It was till it wasn’t.
Bridges was sold to the Suns for Smith and a future first-round selection shortly after shaking Adam Silver’s hand with a 76ers cap on his head and a large grin on his face. The 76ers believed Smith had the potential to be the NBA’s next Kawhi Leonard, but that did not turn out to be the case.
Smith was hospitalized a few months after the draft owing to a serious allergic reaction. Smith couldn’t consume solid meals for weeks after doctors discovered a rip in his esophagus. Over the course of the terrible quest, he dropped 40 pounds and was in danger of losing his life.
Thankfully, Smith healed entirely and was ready to play for the 76ers again, but injuries began to pile up, and the first-round draft selection only appeared in 13 games for the organization. Smith was dealt by the Sixers to the Detroit Pistons in November, however he was eventually dismissed by his new club and hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since.
Mikal Bridges is swiftly establishing himself as a rising star with the Suns.
During a game against the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns’ Mikal Bridges dribbles across the floor | Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Bridges was prospering for the Suns while Smith was fighting to even get on the court for the 76ers early in his career. As a rookie, the gifted winger appeared in 56 games and has since established himself as a regular starter for the squad during the previous two seasons.
Bridges enjoyed his finest season of his career in 2020-21, and he was a key cause for Phoenix’s NBA Finals appearance. But he’s only gotten better since then.
Bridges has not only carried over his outstanding shooting percentages (54 percent from the field, 40.5 percent from three) into this season, but he’s also developed into one of the finest on-ball defenders in the NBA. The 25-year-old leads the club with 1.5 thefts and 0.6 blocks per game, and his 1.1 defensive win shares are second only to Chris Paul.
Bridges matched up with Stephen Curry in the Suns’ recent triumph over the Golden State Warriors, holding the future Hall of Famer to just 4-for-21 shooting, his worst shooting performance of his career. In 2022, Bridges is a serious candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.
The 76ers are in desperate need of this.
It’s no coincidence that the 76ers have been looking for a two-way winger to play with Joel Embiid since the big first joined the league. In 2018, Philadelphia discovered just that, but instead of going for the easy layup they already had in their hands, the front office opted for a 360 slam.
And they squandered the opportunity in a dreadful way.
The 76ers are in need of a lockdown defender to replace Ben Simmons now that he is out of the lineup. Bridges might have been that, but he’s now prospering in the desert with a serious title contender.
It wasn’t the Sixers’ fault that Smith’s NBA career was cut short, but the team seems to be incapable of making sound selection picks.
Basketball Reference provided all stats.
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