Sixers different with Ish Smith, whose ‘better days are ahead of him'

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The last two Sixers seasons can be broken down simply …

There is B.I. and A.I. That is Before Ish and After Ish.

The bottom line is stark. Last season, the Sixers were 12-45 (.210 winning percentage) before Ish Smith arrived after being claimed off waivers from the Pelicans. With Smith in the lineup, the Sixers went 6-19 (.240) to close out the season.

This season, the Sixers opened the year by going 1-30 without Smith and are 3-6 since he joined the team for the Dec. 26 game in Phoenix. So since all the Sixers do with Smith in the lineup is win — relatively speaking, of course — it makes one wonder:

Why didn’t the Sixers re-sign Smith after the end of last season? Or, upon realizing a point guard was an obvious need at the start of this season, why didn’t the Sixers put in a waiver claim for Smith when the Washington Wizards waived him after the preseason?

That’s a difficult question to answer and one filled with rumor and innuendo. On one side there is a story that Smith’s camp passed up a potential deal to remain with the Sixers and on another side the scenario is flipped. Adding more intrigue is the fact that Smith changed agents before the season.

Neither side is explaining exactly how it went down, but Smith was available at the start of the season after being waived by the Wizards and the Sixers did not get him. It wasn’t until Mike D’Antoni and Jerry Colangelo came aboard that the Sixers acted to acquire Smith from New Orleans.

However it went down, Smith is in Philly now and, given the way his career has played out, he’s right on time.

“Based on my career, I have no idea what’s going on,” Smith said with a laugh after the Sixers’ practice on Tuesday at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. “Ideally, yes, it would have been great to be here. But based on my career, I have no idea where I’m going to be.”

Perhaps it’s Smith’s inability to stick with one team for too long that has made his time in Philadelphia so interesting. After all, he’s played in the NBA for Houston, Memphis, Golden State, Orlando, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Oklahoma City and New Orleans. He also went to camp with Washington, played for Rio Grande Valley in the D-League and was waived six times.

He was never drafted after four seasons at Wake Forest, but went to the playoffs in three straight seasons with three different teams.

Yet through it all it wasn’t until Smith arrived in Philadelphia where he got the chance to show he could play.

“I think first and foremost, it’s an example right in front of our nose of how good NBA point guards are, how good starting NBA point guards are,” coach Brett Brown said. “He’s a journeyman, and we love him. But that position is elite. That’s sort of the crown jewel when you’re forming a roster, ultimately, you’re going to need a point guard. I think Ish’s better days are ahead of him.”

What is it that has made Smith’s time with the Sixers stand out?

Quite simply, Smith doesn’t turn it over and the Sixers score when he’s on the court.

According to Synergy Sports, the Sixers have scored 1.2 points per possession with Smith on the floor and seen the turnovers drop by nearly two per game since Smith took over as point guard. Interestingly, Smith has committed 29 turnovers in nine games at more than 30 minutes per game while former point guard Tony Wroten had 29 turnovers in eight games at 18 minutes per.

In nine games Smith also has the third-most assists on the team and likely will trail only T.J. McConnell by early next week.

Plus, Smith scores. He can get to the basket for a shot or a dish. Averaging 16.2 points and 7.8 assists, the Sixers have improved their shooting percentage with Smith and score 5.5 points per 100 possessions, according to Synergy.

“He’s got an athletic gift and a bounce,” Brown said. “If he’s anything, he’s fast. He certainly is athletic, so he gets where he wants to on a court. Now, it’s like how do you drive your car? How do you control your speed? How do you find our bigs, how do you find [three-point shooting threats] Hollis [Thompson], and [Robert] Covington, and Isaiah [Canaan]? How do you find that around you?”

But the biggest difference with Smith hasn’t been on offense. Just the opposite. With Smith on the floor, opponents score less than a point per possession (0.775), according to Synergy, and the Sixers have seen the opposition shoot six percent worse from the field and 11 percent worse from three-point range with Smith on the floor.

Frankly, it’s a wonder the Sixers haven’t won more games since re-acquiring Smith.

Maybe those Ws are looming on the horizon.

“I have so much more to grow,” Smith said. “I’m thankful that I’m kind of just touching the tip of the iceberg. But I got a long way to go to get to the level that I think I want to get to.

“I feel comfortable. I feel very, very comfortable. I like it here. I love the fans. I'm just playing. We're 40 games in it. It’s a long season.”

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