The Philadelphia 76ers need a point guard, and they’d be hard pressed to find anyone harder working than Russ Smith. He may be worth the gamble.
The Philadelphia 76ers very clearly have some holes to be filled before they are a contending team in the NBA. After obtaining the first overall pick, they will be set up well to finish their foundation for the future, but there still will be voids.
One of the voids that will still exist once the draft is completed is the point guard position. Given that Brandon Ingram and Ben Simmons are the players that could possibly go first overall are both forwards, the guard position will be left unfulfilled after the draft. The Sixers do have the 24th and 26th overall pick, but it’s doubtful that they will be able to find a great guard that late in the draft.
I’m a believer in diamonds in the rough when it comes to the draft — in fact, that’s what this whole article is really about — but I think the Sixers need to find a guard that they know more about than just a season or two of college basketball. Rookies come bearing a ton of question marks.
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That’s where Russ Smith comes in.
Drafted in the middle of the second round out of Louisville, Smith entered his NBA career with some great experience. He was a part of a national championship in his college days, and had been more than just a role player throughout the season. Russ, in that championship season, averaged 18.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game.
Smith has not had much of an NBA career, playing just 27 games over the course of his career so far. Still, he could be a D-League diamond in the rough, as he has excelled there.
Smith has spent time with the Idaho Stampede and the Sixers’ affiliate the Delaware 87ers for the past two years. This year, Smith scored 65 points in a single D-League game, (a record) and had several games with double digit points and assists.
Many 87ers had huge seasons, debuts, and games this year. Jordan McRae scored a record 61 points in one game, (later broken by Russ himself) Baron Davis returned to basketball with Delaware. Christian Wood had some good games as well. But no player was more consistent than Russ.
Russ averaged 28.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 8.0 assists for the Delaware 87ers this season.
Smith, although like I said, has a tiny resume as far as real NBA action goes, has a fundamental skill set that could easily be tapped into at the NBA level.
Smith is high-speed, and has the ability to get to the rim. He’s a play maker, both for himself and others, often finding his teammates in unimaginable ways. He’s well aware of when to shoot and when to pass. He could easily slip into the pick and roll and lob game with Nerlens Noel, and would also be a complimentary piece to Jahlil Okafor or Joel Embiid.
Smith has a solid floater, and a great reverse layup. He’s good in traffic, and seems to finish even when he has hands in his face.
The only major issue I could see as far as fit goes is him adding to the lane-clogging issue. With so many big men on the team, there’s already an issue with spacing, and Smith is often heading towards the rim and using the lane to his advantage. This could add to the spacing issue.
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Overall, I think there’s reason to at least sign Smith and bring him on to training camp. He has proven to be a consistent D-League player, and that often translates to solid NBA players. The D-League still is not as much of a tap for talent as many would like an official minor league system to be, but Russ is a step in the right direction. Given the right guidance and coaching, he could be solid as a pro.