A 10-Game Evaluation of Ish Smith as a Philadelphia 76er

Now, for Ish’s individual playing. Ish is playing outstandingly well, and there have been plenty of possessions where Ish has taken the ball coast-to-coast, cutting through the defense and getting an easy two points for the Sixers, while also giving them a bit of a momentum boost. Even when Ish takes some incredible off-balance shots, there’s still an expectancy that the ball will fall in. He’s been that good the past several games.

Ish’s best quality, like many of the Sixers guards, is passing, but he seems to have a great handle on when he should pass, and when he should shoot. There’s not many times that I watch Ish and think, “that was the wrong choice, should’ve passed and not shot” like I think with T.J. McConnell. He’s an incredibly snappy thinker, and it pays off.

As for his best quality, he’s doing decently with it, averaging 7.8 assists per game in the last 10. We have to remember, especially with this team, assist numbers are skewed because it requires the teammates you’re passing to to make the shot, something the Sixers haven’t done a whole lot of this year. Despite that, Smith has given his teammates good looks. Off of passes from Ish, Nerlens Noel is making 80% of his field goals, and even Nik Stauskas is Up to 40% from beyond the 3-point line, which seemed like a giant task. It’s clear Ish is a masterful passer.

Smith is shooting well with defense on him, and shoots well when he has defense within 2 feet of him at 56.7 percent.

As for his scoring, he’s done a good job there as well, averaging 17.0 points per game, knocking down shots that no one on the Sixers has been able to all season.

Next: Nerlens Noel