Detroit Pistons: Season outlook for reserve guard Ish Smith

Entering his third season with the Detroit Pistons, Ish Smith carved out an important role in the team’s rotation. So what should we expect from the backup point guard in 2018-19? Josh Sklare has more.

Ish Smith has proven that he can step up when he needs to. Smith has had quite the ride in the NBA. From 2010-2015, he was on eight different teams and never averaged more than 15.1 minutes per game in a single season.

Upon his trade to Philadelphia, however, Smith finally got a chance to show what he can do, and has proven to be a valuable, backup point guard ever since.

While Ish Smith can step up with Reggie Jackson at less than 100 percent going into the season, it will be imperative for the veteran to increase his production, as Jackson looks to return to his old self.

Here’s the season outlook for Smith in 2018-19.

What have we seen so far?

Ish Smith had a very solid preseason for the Pistons. He finished the preseason averaging 11.0 points, 3.0 assists, and 5.5 assists per game in 27.2 minutes a night. However, Smith left much to be desired shooting wise.

He struggled early on in the preseason, shooting just 6-for-28 (or a putrid 21.4 percent) from the field.  But he came on strong his last two games going 10-for-19, good enough for 52.6 percent from the field to end the preseason.

While there were concerns at the start, Smith’s improvement over the final two games should give Pistons fans a sign for belief going into the regular season.

What should we expect from Ish? 

For fans of the Pistons, they are quite familiar with what Ish Smith brings to the table. That being, primarily, speed.

He’s still one of the fastest players in the NBA, which is arguably his biggest strength as a basketball player. But he also has the ability to create his own shot.

With the court much more spread out, this gives Smith to maneuver around, and use his speed to get his shots up. Ish can be a floor general at times, but Jackson still remains the superior point guard in terms of fulfilling that role.

Even if Jackson suffers another injury, it’s likely that Smith would remain the backup point guard, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News. I expect him to average 10-plus points per game again this season, because he can get to the basket at least 2-3 times a night and score using his speed.

But what Pistons fans should be excited about is Smith’s the improvement from the 3-point line. In the preseason, he shot at least 3 triples in every game. Last season, Ish averaged just 1.2 threes per game. So to see him shooting more 3-pointers, and possibly opening up the lane, is a welcome sign. But he must also be able to hit this shot efficiently.

Expect Ish Smith to get major minutes this year, and continue to show Pistons fans the ability he’s displayed since arriving in Detroit. This should make for a fun and interesting season.