On Wednesday, Washington hired former NBA champion and journeyman Ish Smith to rejoin the Wizards, but not exactly in the role many may have expected.
The Washington Wizards have hired former NBA point guard Ish Smith as a pro scout, team officials said. Smith, who had two stints with the Wizards, played for an NBA-record 13 different teams.
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) October 2, 2024
Wizards hire former NBA guard Ish Smith as Pro Scout
The Wake Forest alum played in the NBA for 14 seasons including two stints with the Wizards towards the back half of his career. Smith made a name for himself as a scrappy veteran and a spark plug off the bench.
Despite not being considered one of the top players in the league, the 36-year-old has had the privilege to suit up alongside the best players in the league including Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis, and LaMelo Ball to name a few.
What does this mean for Washington?
The hiring of Smith may have come out of the blue, but there’s no chance that general manager Will Dawkins just decided to make this move without having a certain expectation for the young NBA mind.
Considering the players he’s spent time around, Smith knows what it looks like to succeed at the next level. He knows exactly what to look for because he’s been around it for over a decade.
Ultimately, after spending time with 13 different teams throughout his career, the hope is his eye for talent will lead to a quicker rebuild for a Washington team that is desperately seeking a rise to contention.
What does this mean for Smith?
After retiring from the NBA, not every player gets the luxury to stay around the game of basketball. Some former players resort to becoming media personalities on ESPN, while others start podcast to talk about their experiences in the league. However, being involved behind the scenes of an NBA organization and helping build the roster is a job that some of the best minds in the league resort to.
As a scout, Smith will get his chance to begin the next chapter in his career and stick around the game he loves. Not only will he have the luxury of traveling the world to evaluate the top basketball players, but, he'll have a chance to build his way up to what may be a future coaching gig if he desires.
At the end of the day, talent knows talent, and the confidence in Dawkins to make the move and put Smith in a role on his staff shows how high his hopes are for the former guard.