Philadelphia 76ers: 5 reasons Zhaire Smith was a good pick

5. Rebounding

The Philadelphia 76ers have a number of good rebounding players. Joel Embiid averaged 11.0 per game last season, Ben Simmons averaged 8.1 per game in his rookie year and Dario Saric averaged 6.7 per game.

So, why is it the 76ers need another rebounding player? The answer is the perimeter game. Embiid is a surprisingly good shooter from deep for a 7’0″ player. He shot 30.8 percent from deep last season on 3.2 shots per game. Saric was even better. The 6’10” power forward shot 39.5 percent from deep on 5.1 attempts per game.

The two biggest players on the court for the 76ers spaced the floor well. This leaves only players like Simmons and Robert Covington to get offensive rebounds. With Smith as the shooting guard, the 76ers have a player focused on rebounding. Last season Smith was able to average 2.2 offensive rebounds in just 28.4 minutes per game.

Smith has a tremendous basketball IQ and the ability to get to the right place on the court at the right time. His jumping ability and good timing allow him to collect more rebounds than his 6’4″ height should allow. This then allows Smith to use his superior athleticism to score on second chance points.