What current Washington Wizards have playoff experience?
By Keith Cork
4. Ish Smith
10 seasons, 11 teams. Now that’s a rough life with a lot of moving.
Ish Smith has suited up for the Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, New Orleans Pelicans, Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors, and of course the Washington Wizards. It’s hard to say why exactly he’s bounced around so much with career averages of 7.7 points and 3.9 assists in just 20.1 minutes per game, but perhaps it’s because Ish Smith can be a little inconsistent.
Personally, I thought he deserved a longer look as the starter in Detroit where he played behind Reggie Jackson. But he’s always been second fiddle at the PG position pretty much.
Until now. Now he finds himself as the starter, averaging the second-most minutes of his career, and it couldn’t come in a better spot for him should the Washington Wizards qualify for the playoffs.
Ish Smith has played for four different teams in the postseason, and has never made it out of the first round. But he’s never really had his chance, averaging just 7.6 minutes per game in the most important games of the season.
Still, his per 36 numbers in the playoffs are pretty good at 9.4 points, 5 rebounds, and 6.4 assists. Those are serviceable numbers, but we have to consider that he’s shot only 28.6 percent from the field and 14.3 percent from behind the line in his 14 playoff experiences.
That’s not a good trend but he should be a valuable resource as a seasoned veteran of this game on over 1/3 of the league’s teams.