Pistons’ Chris Smith Undergoes ACL Surgery

Pistons forward Chris Smith has undergone an ACL reconstruction procedure on his left knee, the team announced today (via Twitter). The surgery was completed in Chicago on Tuesday.

According to the Pistons (via Twitter), Smith’s left knee injury occurred during a March 8 game in the G League, when the rookie was playing for the Motor City Cruise. Smith will begin rehab immediately and will be out indefinitely, the club added.

Smith’s NBA debut was delayed this season because he was returning from a torn left ACL. The fact that he suffered another ACL injury in the same knee before getting a chance to suit up for Detroit is an unfortunate turn of events for both the player and the team.

Smith, who went undrafted out of UCLA in 2021, signed a two-year, two-way deal with the Pistons last August. He appeared in 18 games with the Cruise, but didn’t seem all the way back to his old self following the ACL tear, averaging 8.7 PPG and 5.3 RPG with a subpar .354/.258/.727 shooting line in 22.5 minutes per contest.

Although he remains under contract for 2022/23, Smith isn’t a lock to remain on Detroit’s roster through the offseason — the team could waive him to open up a two-way slot. Even in that scenario, I imagine the Pistons would make certain resources available to him for as long as he’s rehabbing the knee rather than simply cutting him loose.

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