That’s likely a big reason the team signed Jeff Dowtin Jr. to a two-way contract late in the season, and why the sturdier Dowtin got more playing time on the big league team as the Sixers were ravaged by injuries down the stretch.
Smith knew when he started his professional career that adding strength would be important if he wanted to see time in the NBA. That’s why he put the work in this season.
“I kind of fell in love with lifting,” Smith said. “It’s my first year ever lifting like I did. I used to hate the weight room actually.”
So, what changed?
“I mean if I want to play I got to do what it takes,” he said. “Just getting stronger is something that will help me out on the court. It’s just like showing up to work every day.”
Smith said that he plans to stay in the area and continue to work out at the team’s practice facility instead of returning home to Greenville, North Carolina. While nothing has been formally presented to him, he believes he’ll participate with the Sixers’ summer league team(s).
To put it simply, as a prospect Smith is a project; one that will likely take more time to develop in the G-League before being ready to be an NBA player — if he even is one.
Next season will likely be another one Smith mostly spends in the G-League. Sixers president of basketball operation Daryl Morey said he doesn’t typically expect two-way players to be ready to contribute until their second or third year, if it all.
Smith definitely looks to have a skillset most NBA teams will want, it’s just a matter if if his body can grow into that.
Despite making zero picks in the 2023 NBA draft, the Sixers did not come away empty handed. They signed two undrafted free agents, Terquavion Smith and Ricky Council IV, both of whom spent most of the season bouncing back and forth between Philadelphia and their G League affiliate Delaware Blue Coats.
Council, who Smith already knew from their time growing up in North Carolina, was rewarded with a standard NBA contract at the end of the season. While Smith was happy for his friend, it also serves as motivation as he enters the second year of his two-way deal.
“It gave me confidence and motivation to let me know that it’s possible to get a contract,” Smith said during exit interviews, “or just make bigger moves for yourself and perform at a high level.”
After averaging 17 points per game in his sophomore season at NC State, many were surprised that Smith went unselected, though concerns about his frame holding up at the NBA level surely played a factor. As a 6-foot-4 guard, Smith came into the league weighing only 165 pounds.
So the Sixers decided to take a flyer on Smith with one of their two-way contracts, allowing him to spend most of his time during his rookie season to develop in the G League. That’s how the majority of his season was spent.
Smith appeared in 16 games for the Sixers, and only two of those appearance could be considered real, non-garbage time minutes.
Trying to make the most out of his time in the G League, Smith averaged 23.3 points per game for the Blue Coats, along with 3.9 assists. He shot 37% from three on a ridiculously high volume (10.5 per game) and 42% from the field.
His shot, a fairly smooth form, seemed to hold up at the NBA level as well. He took 35 threes in the NBA this past season and made 37% of those as well. Incredibly small sample size, but Smith attempted 15.0 threes per 36 minutes during his time with the big club.
It’s not hard to see the makings of an NBA player in Smith. He has good touch and looks to have the adequate tools needed to get himself open looks.
He is going to have to get stronger though if he wants to be playable. Smaller guards also struggle to not get screened on the perimeter. In the few real minutes Smith did get this season, it was too easy for almost any opposing player to push him off his spot and get around him.
Sixers guard prospect Terquavion Smith
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