Detroit Pistons: 3 goals for Ish Smith in 2018-19

3. Continue improving his defense

Smith will never be known as a defensive stalwart. However, heading into his ninth NBA season, he has consistently improved every year on that end of the floor. This should earn him some extra playing time under Casey, who worked to turn the Toronto Raptors into a consistent top defensive unit. With the team the Pistons currently have, they can make their push up the defensive standings. Smith can be a major part of that.

Normally, when a team’s bench unit comes in, their net rating drops off, which makes sense. However, the Pistons bench squad is much better on defense than it is on offense. Smith, Glenn Robinson III and others aren’t offensive maestros, but they’re strong on the other end. Casey can get creative with his lineups to leave in just enough offense while focusing on defense. They won’t be at the level of the Utah Jazz, but they can be similar in some areas.

Smith has been pushing for starter minutes in recent seasons. If Jackson’s healthy, he won’t get them. However, he could easily outdo his career average of 19.1 minutes per game with continued improvement. Casey gave his bench players plenty of opportunities to be successful. Smith will get his turn. Defense doesn’t guarantee you a rotation spot, but bad defense can easily get you bounced out of it.