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Posted Up! | Zhaire Smith

Similar to how he's approached the rest of his career, Zhaire Smith is using the NBA hiatus as an opportunity to get better.

With daily workouts as the centerpiece of his routine, Smith hopes to return to the court as the best possible version of himself.

Here’s more of what he’s been up to…

Quarantining with his family, Smith says each of his days have been pretty similar:

“Watching TV, movies, I restarted The Wire. Now I’m doing pushups and working out. That’s it.”

His workout setup is something he’s most proud of:

“I’ve got my garage set up. I do dumbbells, pushups, legs, quads, and bike. I just hit it in the morning one time, hit all that stuff and be over with. Then if it’s a nice day, I go out and walk. I work with what I have.”

Smith says his inner circle has been key to keeping a positive attitude:

“[I’m supported by] my family and friends. I keep in touch with everybody on Snapchat, and family, because they’re here. I see them every day.”

In particular, Smith's mother, Andrea, has been an important force in his life:

“She was strict growing up, but it was all love. She’s a strong woman.”

Outside of his immediate family, Smith says he’s enjoyed keeping up with his 76er family on Zoom too:

“It’s been cool. A lot of jokes, especially Kyle O’Quinn. He’s the funniest on the team. Al Horford, he had [a Zoom background] like he was on the beach. Mike Scott, he had Matisse [as his background]. We see how we’re all doing, then we talk about life really.”

Spending the majority of his season with the Delaware Blue Coats, Smith says he’s proud of his growth on the court, especially beyond the arc:

“I feel like it went pretty good - I feel like I improved in all aspects of my game, especially shooting. Just putting up more threes. My freshman year of college, I only put up like 40 threes. That was the main goal coming in, put up threes, how can I shoot? I feel like it’s just going to get better from here.”

Here are some fun facts about Zhaire:

  • His favorite color is blue.

  • He’s a morning person, who likes to get nine hours of sleep each night.

  • He’s not a coffee man.

  • His favorite vegetable is carrots.

  • His favorite sport other than basketball is football.

  • His favorite vacation spot is Texas.

  • His favorite boy band is The Beatles.

5 things Zhaire can’t live without in quarantine:

  • Food

  • Water

  • TV

  • Phone

  • PS4

As Smith looks forward to a potential return to play, his goals are linear:

“Just continue improving, be a well-rounded player, and give all I got every day on the court.”

Check back into sixers.com to post up with more of the 76ers as the hiatus continues.