UCLA senior Chris Smith will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee during the Bruins’ win over Utah on Thursday, the school announced Saturday.
“After speaking with our team doctors and medical staff, I’m confident that Chris will make a quick and full recovery,” head coach Mick Cronin said. “Obviously, he is very disappointed and his teammates feel for him. Everyone at UCLA will help Chris through this, and I know that he will work relentlessly to be back to 100%.”
Smith, a 6-foot-9 wing, was averaging 12.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists this season. He had been inconsistent on the offensive end, but scored 16 points in 22 minutes in his last game against Utah and was second on the team in scoring and rebounding. Smith was also shooting 50% from 3-point range through eight games.
Smith entered his name into the 2020 NBA draft, but withdrew shortly before the deadline and returned to Westwood. He’s ranked as the No. 10 small forward in ESPN’s 2021 NBA draft rankings, the No. 79 player overall.
Without Smith in the fold, expect Cronin to rely more heavily on junior forward Jules Bernard. Bernard had 13 points off the bench against Utah and started the first five games of the season. He offers some inside-outside scoring ability and is also a capable rebounder.
UCLA was 6-2 (2-0 in the Pac-12) entering Saturday night’s game against Colorado.