Ish Smith-Nerlens Noel Pairing Promising For 76ers, Provides Options
By Jake Hyman
The Ish Smith-Nerlens Noel pairing is promising and provides options for the Philadelphia 76ers’ future.
Before Ish Smith‘s arrival, the Philadelphia 76ers were uninspiring, stagnant and on pace for historic futility. In his second stint with the team, the point guard has provided a spark to the offense and is making his teammates more effective.
After multiple attempts at finding a lead guard to boost the team’s efficiency, general manager Sam Hinkie might have gotten his floor general by dealing for Smith.
Since Dec. 26, Smith’s first game this season as a Sixer, the team is 3-4. For many other organizations, that record might be labeled as average. In Philadelphia’s instance, it’s a breakthrough.
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Generating a sub-.500 record with Smith on the floor might be counterproductive to the Sixers’ long-term “finish with the worst record” mentality, but evident growth phases out any negative connotations associated with winning games.
Before the journeyman joined the team, Philadelphia was arguably failing to accomplish the notion of developing their youth to peak effectiveness. One of their core players, especially, looked to be regressing in his second professional season.
In 25 games before the addition of Smith, Nerlens Noel averaged 9.8 points per game on 45.0 percent shooting from the floor. Through the seven games Smith has played, Noel’s numbers have ascended. The center is shooting a robust 69.3 percent and averaging 14.1 points per game, showing possible signs of two-way ability to complement his defensive prowess.
Smith also is featured heavily when Noel is on the court. The point guard has played just more than 166 total minutes with Noel in the frontcourt and just less than 26 minutes with the Kentucky product off of the court. With Smith manning the point, Noel is shooting 70.4 percent from the floor on the season.
It’s evident where Noel exceeds as an offensive big. His athleticism allows him to finish at the rim and perform alley-oop attempts with Smith. The shot chart illustrated below showcases Noel’s wheelhouse.
Noel took a majority of his jump shot attempts without Smith in the lineup and was forced to create his own offense. As a slashing big, that’s far from Noel’s forte. In an attempt to expand his offensive repertoire, the 21-year-old center actually hindered his offensive efficiency.
Even if the jumper never becomes a part of Noel’s game, Smith is accentuating Noel’s offensive ability near the basket. That’s Smith’s role as a Sixer that will fuel his long-term value on the team. He was brought in to boost the team’s productivity and ease in the development for guys like Noel and Jahlil Okafor.
Head coach Brett Brown articulated on the impact Smith has on the team and how his position, as a point guard, is instrumental for cohesiveness and effectiveness.
"“I think everybody benefits from good, stable point-guard play,” Brown said, per The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Bob Cooney. “The point guard just connects the dots all over the place. All over the place and there’s probably no team that would resonate that opinion more than we do with what we’ve all been through.”"
It’s an understatement to proclaim that the Sixers have been through a lot of struggles this season. Smith has become a much-desired conductor for an organization lacking the necessary jolt. The trait, outside of vision and instincts, that’s helping Smith transform the Sixers’ offense is his quickness.
Philadelphia has refrained slightly on fast pace basketball, due to the addition of half-court behemoth Jahlil Okafor, but has recently been more inclined to speed up possessions. With Smith, regarded as one of the league’s fastest point guards, Philadelphia has climbed up to No. 15 in terms of fast-break points per game.
For a team that struggles with the jump shot, developing offense before the defense is in position could be an option for Philadelphia on more possessions. This would benefit both Smith and Noel’s ability to run the floor and use their burst to overmatch defenders. However, this offensive game plan might not mesh with Okafor’s meticulous and lagging movement.
On the surface it creates issues, but when Philadelphia molds what they’ve attempted to build for years, it’s hard to envision Smith and Noel starting for the organization. Both Okafor and Embiid are universally regarded to have more upside and Noel has failed to effectively transition to the power forward position.
In addition, Smith’s offensive limitations limit his ceiling as a lead guard for a contending franchise. He’s only shooting 30 percent from deep on the season and struggles to finish around the rim, with a 6’0″, 175-pound frame lacking power and bulk.
As a backup, however, Smith could run teams out of the building with Noel and possibly continue the production against weaker competition.
Teams have players fill in roles when giving their starters a break. Smith’s is pretty evident, currently, but accentuating his speed to complement Noel’s athleticism could present problems late in the first quarter and at other times when the starters need a rest.
Smith’s arrival has provided Philadelphia with a source of production and confidence at the point guard position. Even though Smith might not have as much of an impact if his offensive inefficiencies persist, he still has a role for the organization and has the rapport needed to mesh with Noel.
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As starters or coming off the bench, they could be sharing the court for an extended period in the association, offering stability and beneficial production from their respective positions.