Detroit Pistons Season Wrap: The Bench
By Ash Vanclay
Ish Smith
Ish Smith played in 81 games and averaged 24.1 minutes per game. He averaged 9.4 points per game, 2.9 rebounds per game, 5.2 assists per game and 1.4 turnovers per game. Smith shot 43.9 percent from the field, 26.7 percent three-point shooting, and 70.6 free throw shooting.
In a season where he was supposed to only be the backup point guard, he ended up starting 32 games. Some of the Pistons best offensive sequences happened with Smith running at the point guard position. He loves to get out in transition and run, and this Pistons team assisted that by allowing the least amount of second-chance points per game in the NBA, and by being fourth and fifth in total rebounds per game and defensive rebounds per game respectively. This allowed for more Piston transition opportunities when Smith was on the floor.
The only downside to Smith’s play is his poor three-point shooting (except for his game winning three-point shot against the Brooklyn Nets on March 30 2017), which he makes up for with his playmaking ability and his pure speed.
Chances he remains a Piston: 100 percent. He is contracted for two more years at a very reasonable $6 million per year. He’s an excellent backup point guard capable of playing extended minutes if required as demonstrated this season.