Philadelphia 76ers: What To Do With Ish Smith

The Philadelphia 76ers received a much-needed boost at the point guard position and received it from midseason acquisition Ish Smith. With Smith entering free agency this offseason, what should the Sixers do with the steady point guard?

After the hiring of Jerry Colangelo to the front office for the Philadelphia 76ers, the organization shifted ever so slightly, going from an organization that collected several assets, to one that wanted to move towards winning in the near future. One move that signified that was the trade of two second-round picks for Ish Smith.

Smith was a member of the organization before, one of the last cuts in the 2015 offseason. Since then, he found a niche with the New Orleans Pelicans, filling in Tyreke Evans‘ role as a slasher and distributor before the Sixers reacquired him.

In his return, Smith rewarded the Sixers with 14.4 points per game and 7.0 assists per game, stabilizing a weak position for the price of two second round picks.

He’s also been a great conduit for Nerlens Noel’s offensive game, allowing the third-year big man to blossom as a pick and roll big man. Noel is shooting 53 percent as a roll man and 59 percent as a cutter, per NBA.com’s Play Type data. As someone who can’t create offense for himself, it’s imperative to have someone who can orchestrate for him, something Smith has helped him with.

Also, an underrated part of Smith’s game is that he can get to the lane. Smith is currently fourth in the league in drives, averaging 11.1 per game. He doesn’t shoot as well as you would like (Smith’s 43 percent is the lowest among the top six drivers in the league), but just being able to get into the teeth of the defense allows Philadelphia to get the ball to a cutter or a shooter in the corners.