by
Ish Smith
The Detroit Pistons entered last week knowing they had a major hole to fill in the backcourt.
Of course, Reggie Jackson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope would be holding down the starting spots, but the cupboard was virtually empty behind them. So it came as some surprise when Stan Van Gundy opted for a big man (Henry Ellenson) with his first-rounder and a 6’7” hybrid player (Michael Gbinije) with the second.
Well, it turns out Stan knew exactly what he was doing.
With free agency off to a fast start in the NBA, it was announced this morning that the Pistons are close to a three-year deal with dynamic Ish Smith, formerly of the 76ers (and about a million other teams).
Despite Smith’s journeyman status, the guy proved throughout last season that his game is not to be taken lightly.
In 77 combined games last year, with New Orleans and then Philly, Ish averaged a very respectable 12.6 points and 6.5 assists. And while Smith did mostly backup duty in the Big Easy, he played heavy minutes as the starter with the 76ers.
To be fair, going to a last-place team like Philadelphia and putting up crazy numbers can sometimes be misleading. After all, every NBA team is going to somehow tally 90+ points on most nights, and the buckets have to come from somewhere. But even so, this newest Piston was routinely cracking the 20 point mark, sometimes nearing 30. Anybody that can put together that kind of volume at the game’s highest level has to be taken seriously.
Volume Scorer
The word “volume” might be a good one to describe Ish Smith. As in, he is a “volume” scorer, not necessarily a high-percentage one. For his career, he is a 40% guy from the field, a scarier 30% from downtown, and a concerning 64% from the foul line. To be taken seriously at the guard position in the NBA, generally those figures have to be much higher. But maybe that is in part why Smith has played 323 games in the league and done so while suiting up for nine different teams.
Forgetting the sheer numbers for a moment, this could be a critical acquisition for the Pistons. They tried to wiggle through last season with a very creaky Steve Blake masquerading as a bench spark plug and playmaker; that plan crashed and burned most every night. There was definitely a time when Blake was a legitimate NBA point guard that you could trust to run the team for 20-25 minutes a night; 2016 was not that time.
Ish Smith (full name: Ishmael Larry Smith) will bring that missing fire to the second unit. There will be instances when he is erratic, and maybe trying to do too much too fast. After all, Smith is regularly considered one of the quickest players in the entire league. But you’ll take some of that chaos in exchange for the punch Smith will bring to the club.
When the Pistons have had their best teams in the past, it has not just been because of a top-notch starting five. It was also because the reserves were quality NBA players that could have been starters for several other teams. They haven’t been able to say that for some time now.
Sure, they got a little boost from Anthony Tolliver and his outside shooting last season. And Stanley Johnson provided some energy -- when he was actually in the rotation. But it was far from a banner year for the Pistons bench. For the most part, it was one of the weaker units in the league. When the opening group would get off to a rotten start, which was not uncommon, it never felt like that second five was capable of instantly coming in and reversing the tide.
But now, with the addition of first-round pick Ellenson from Marquette, the continued maturation of Johnson in his second year, and now the pickup of speed merchant Ish Smith, it’s beginning to look like a frisky unit again.
And in today’s small-ball crazy NBA, it is not hard to envision a scenario where both Smith and Reggie Jackson are on the floor for the Pistons down the stretch in close games. Jackson is probably more of a scorer than a distributor at heart, so sharing court time with Smith could enable him to do what he does best -- use screens, find open spaces, and put the ball in the goal. Being the recipient of someone else’s shot creation could open up a whole new world for Jackson, a guy that too often had to make something from nothing last year.
So while the rest of the basketball world tracks the every move of Kevin Durant and wonders where Dwight Howard will end up, the Pistons slipped under the radar and added a little-known, but very important piece to their roster.
Stan Van Gundy has mostly been on point with his moves since taking over the team two seasons ago. This signing looks to be another in a long line of savvy transactions.
As for the $130 million he is about to shell out for a temperamental big man in possession of the worst free throw stroke in basketball history?? The jury might be out on that one.
But today, Stan is a winner. He has brought aboard an explosive player, that at 28 years of age (in four days), should be entering the prime of his career.
Ish Smith won’t generate a ton of headlines. And most fans probably had not heard of him before clicking this link
But he makes the Pistons a more dangerous club than they were 24 hours ago. And in the sleepy summer months when no games can be made up in the standings, that’s all you can ask for.
