NBA Draft: Grading the Philadelphia 76ers’ last 10 first rounds

2018

The moves: Traded for Zhaire Smith, Drafted Landry Shamet

Zhaire Smith

Now, in 2018 the Philadelphia 76ers had the opportunity to take Mikal Bridges with the 10th overall pick. However, head coach Brett Brown felt as though the team could benefit from either Bridges or eventual acquisition Zhaire Smith. It was very much a 1A/1B situation for the Sixers.

As such, when both players were on the board, the Sixers traded the rights to Mikal Bridges to the Phoenix Suns for Zhaire Smith and a 2021 Miami Heat first-round pick. In Brown’s eyes, the Sixers got the same value and recouped an asset, too.

So far, Smith has played a grand total of 13 games in two seasons. During his NBA season, Smith ended up having an allergic reaction prevented him from competing. Since then, he has been out of the rotation. However, Smith has gotten plenty of G-League reps this season. At the very least, the Sixers haven’t counted him out yet.

Smith is a very incomplete player, at the moment. But, his athleticism and solid shooting stroke makes him a solid “3-and-D” player down the line.

Grade: N/A

Landry Shamet

Next, the Sixers took Landry Shamet with the 26th pick. This pick proved rather valuable, as Shamet hit the rotation hard immediately. During the first half on the season, the Sixers lacked depth, leading to plenty of opportunities for players to fight for spots in the rotation.

For Shamet to start competing for minutes right off the bat was fairly impressive. When the team was lacking depth due to Zhaire Smith’s and Markelle Fultz‘s absences, Shamet filled in very nicely. During his half-season in Philadelphia, Shamet averaged 8.3 points per game on 40.4 percent from three point range.

Ultimately, Shamet would be part of a deal along with Mike Muscala, Wilson Chandler, a 2020 1st round draft pick, a 2021 1st round draft pick, a 2021 2nd round draft pick and a 2023 2nd round draft pick to the LA Clippers in a deal that landed them Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, and Mike Scott.

Initially, he seemed like a throwaway piece, but in reality, Shamet has proven valuable to the Clippers. Since joining LA, Shamet has averaged 10.1 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists on 41.3 percent 3-point shooting. He was an integral part of the Clippers playoff run last year, too.

Considering the type of player that the Sixers found at the 26th pick, coupled with the fact that he was a key piece in the Tobias Harris trade, Landry Shamet was without a doubt one of the best first-round picks the Sixers have made in recent memory.

Grade: A