1. Keep it up
The first goal for Smith? Pick up where he left off.
That means a continuation of the up-tempo style of basketball he displayed throughout last season. If Golden State has taught us anything, it’s that pace and space separates the contenders from the pretenders.
Transition basketball will always favor the team on offense. Defensively, players are backpedaling, out of position, and are more prone to committing a foul.
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Golden State finished last season with the most points scored in transition at 2,025. Phoenix, Houston, Washington and Cleveland rounded out the top five. With the exception of the Suns, all of those teams made deep postseason runs.
Smith averaged 1.6 fast break points per game in 2016-17. All-Star point guards like Kyrie Irving and Chris Paul only averaged 2.5 and 2.3, respectively. Both of them played over 30 minutes per game last season.
Despite starting in 32 games, Smith only averaged 24.1 minutes per contest. He finished with a stat line of 9.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. To put that into perspective, his per 36 averages were 14.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game.
Most of his scoring and passing is done off the dribble. Ish rarely comes to a jump stop, which forces his opponents to constantly move their feet. The video below provides a few examples of just how effective Smith’s pace and penetration can be.