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

1. Defense

In the recent playoffs, both Marco Belinelli and J.J. Redick were bullied by the Boston Celtics on the defensive end. The Celtics would switch Marcus Morris onto either of these players and overpower them in the post. The other option the Celtics used was get the ball to Jayson Tatum, who used his speed to blow past his defender.

The addition of Smith stops this situation from happening. While he is only 6’5″, his bulk does not allow him to be pushed around. He is used to defending the 4 in college and while the NBA players are bigger, he will be able to hold his own.

His speed also will not allow players to blow past him. He will be a solid perimeter defender who even if he is blown past, will used his superior leaping ability to challenge shots at the rim.

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Smith can defend at least three positions with tremendous skill. If he is inserted into a lineup with Simmons, Covington and Embiid, this has the chance to be one of the hardest lineups in the NBA to score against. Combine that with the incredible offensive ability that this team will have and the Philadelphia 76ers become a contender sooner rather than later.