Looking for help at a critical position, the 76ers turned to a veteran who last season proved to be a valuable contributor. The night before Christmas, the Sixers’ brain trust decided it would serve the organization best to pry Ish Smith away from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for a pair of future second-round NBA Draft picks. On Saturday morning, following shoot-around at Talking Stick Resort Arena, Brett Brown looked forward to welcoming back a player that he feels will be a “comfortable addition to the lockerroom,” and a “natural pairing” with the the Sixers. Describing Smith, Brown said, “Big personality, big charisma. Had a presence. Allowed me to coach him. I could coach him hard. He found a new layer in Nerlens [Noel]. He’s got live legs. There’s a pace that he plays with. There’s a reliability from a turnover standpoint that he is respected for around the league. All those things are what we need.”Smith, now in his sixth NBA campaign, has suited up for nine different franchises. He particularly stood out over the course of a 25-contest stint with the Sixers at the end of last season, during which he generated 12.0 points and 6.1 assists per game. As Brown mentioned, Smith and Noel seemed to form an especially effective bond. Following Smith’s debut with the Sixers on February 23rd, Noel went on to average 13.3 points and 10.3 rebounds over his final 24 outings. More specifically, Smith was officially credited with the assist on 42 of Noel’s 88 made assisted field goals in this same 24-game stretch.”Ish is a pass-first point guard,” Brown said. “Ish is a bounce and athleticism that let’s him, even with his size, get into the paint, and once he gets there, he collapses the defense, and then he was good enough to have Nerlens go chase stuff.”
“Rightfully so, [Nerlens] should feel there’s a breath of fresh air, there’s a little bit clearer daylight, especially with what he already saw with Ish last year. They formed a partnership last year. And so I’m sure…he will give Ish a big hug quite soon when he sees him.”Noel didn’t bring up any hug-talk when speaking about Smith Saturday morning, but the second-year power forward did praise Smith as being a “great addition.””We know what he’s capable of,” said Noel. “I think he’s going to bring it back to this team. A fast point guard that’s able to get to the rim and create for others. Ish is a little more experienced, so he’ll bring that leadership.”When asked why he and Smith managed to click so quickly, Noel said, “I think it’s his experience. Him being as athletic as he is at the point guard position, and being able to create. Just a willing passer. He makes things a lot easier for the people around him. He makes them better.”
Smith, who was not available for shoot-around, made 27 appearances with New Orleans to start the season, posting 8.9 points and 5.7 assists in nearly 23 minutes per game. This month, with the Pelicans getting healthier at point guard, Smith’s playing time dropped to roughly 10 minutes per game.
