Are We Buying Ish Smith as a 2015-16 Sixer?

Point guard has been a position of struggle for the Philadelphia 76ers since they traded Jrue Holiday on the eve of the 2013 NBA Draft. The Sixers have since cycled through a combination of flawed young players and fringe NBA players. There’s Michael Carter-Williams, who was uncomfortably erratic offensively and was a mediocre defender; Tony Wroten, a poor passer who can’t hit threes; Isaiah Canaan, who could shoot, but wasn’t a good defender; and a host of D-League guys like Casper Ware, Tim Frazier, and Larry Drew.

In the last 25 games of 2014-2015, though, the Philadelphia 76ers made a waiver claim that brought another point guard to the team. Ish Smith started 14 of the last 25 games for the 76ers, and averaged 12.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. Shockingly he looked like one of the better options the Sixers have used at the point in the last two years. Smith is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and after he played well for the team, the 76ers have a decision to make. Smith can probably be brought back for pretty cheap; would it be worth it to do so?

If Smith does get brought back, it’ll be because of his passing, primarily. The greatest part of Smith’s play at the end of the season was the chemistry he developed with the rest of the Sixers’ starters. Smith was great at getting players the ball in efficient spots for them to shoot. Per SportVU, when Ish Smith was the assisting player, Robert Covington shot 44.2 percent from three; Hollis Thompson shot 54.3 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from three; and Nerlens Noel was the greatest beneficiary, shooting 69.7 percent off Smith passes. That’s three of your biggest weapons on offense, all shooting well off Smith passes. Smith particularly developed fantastic pick-and-roll partnership with Noel, and that single play was the Sixers’ biggest threat offensively last year.

Smith also was a strong defensive player for the 76ers. Smith is small, at just 6’0″, 175 pounds, but he can defend isolations (71st percentile this season) and spot-ups (1.00 PPP allowed) because of his speed. The 76ers were 4.6 points/100 possessions better defensively with Smith on the floor this year, and while he can be at a physical disadvantage, he understood the defensive concepts that Brett Brown wanted to employ, and was fantastic at funneling opponents to Noel at the rim. The two had one of the best two-man defensive ratings for the Sixers last year, at 98.5 points/100 possessions allowed. The chemistry Smith and Noel had on both ends might be enough to bring him back.

The biggest deterrents to signing Smith again are his shooting and age. Smith has never developed a good shot, and it hinders his ability to stick anywhere long-term. For the 76ers, he shot 39.8 percent from the field and 30.9 percent from three, and those numbers are both horrible AND somehow above his career averages. That’s not promising, as it prevents him from being a true threat to score out of the PNR, and teams can play off him and help onto the Sixers’ shooters, which potentially kills the team’s spacing. Now, Smith was very good at creating space with his passing ability and ball-handling, similarly to how Ricky Rubio creates space even though he can’t shoot by being an elite passer, but it’s hard to imagine that effectiveness being sustainable without the threat of a shot. Smith is a horrible free throw shooter to boot, which doesn’t help the cause.

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Smith’s also 26-years-old, meaning that his development is probably done. It’s hard to imagine a 27-year-old Smith getting better than he was this year in 2015-2016, even as the team develops around him. Smith’s probably what he is at this point, and I can’t see that being a draw when the Sixers could instead continue doing what they did to find Smith, by picking up younger guys with more potential from the D-League or waiver wire. Smith was a positive, but he was a positive relative to what else the Sixers had going on at the point at the time. Is he really worth committing to over a younger alternative?

Ish Smith was a nice story at the end of the year, and despite his flaws, was a real stabilizing force for the Sixers at the point guard position. While he’s probably not going to be the long-term answer for the team there, especially if they can land D’Angelo Russell or Emmanuel Mudiay in the draft, Smith would probably be an acceptable choice to bring back on a one or two-year deal for cheap to be that rookie’s primary backup. That way, the Sixers could still work that fun Smith/Noel pick-and-roll into their offense, he could allow Russell and Wroten to play off the ball, and most importantly, he could function as a veteran leader for the D-League guys that the Sixers will still likely have around next season.

Smith is the definition of a journeyman, playing for eight teams in five years in the league, and he could be an effective mentor for guys like Drew Gordon and Robert Covington, who have been in a similar situation this season. Smith was fun this year, and while he probably wouldn’t repeat his effective play next season, he might be worth another try as the team’s backup point guard.

Next: The Highwire Act of Nerlens Noel: Year in Review