The Sixers face a long climb if they wish to return to prominence in the Eastern Conference. The effectiveness of GM Sam Hinkie‘s rebuilding through tanking plan is certainly debatable given the team’s woeful record the past few seasons. One major critique levied against Hinkie is his failure to build a cohesive roster, a valid criticism given his lack of attention to the team’s backcourt the past two years. The executive has used three lottery picks in a row to select big men, players whose skills don’t appear to complement each other, which will likely become a bigger issue when and if Joel Embiid finally makes his NBA debut.
Hinkie did land point guard Michael Carter-Williams in the 2014 NBA Draft, a player who snagged Rookie of the Year Honors for the 2013/14 campaign. While Carter-Williams’ game certainly has its flaws, he did provide the team with steady production at a critical position. Since dealing away the 24-year-old to the Bucks during the 2014/15 season, the Sixers have struggled to find a playmaker who could run the team as well as help their young big men develop.
Philadelphia made an attempt to fix this glaring roster hole this season with its acquisition of Ish Smith from the Pelicans in December, a move that hasn’t translated into wins, but there is no denying that the Sixers are a better team since Smith arrived. In 39 games since joining Philly, Smith has notched 14.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 31.7 minutes per night. Smith certainly has his negatives as a player, namely his high turnover rate (2.5 per game) and shaky shot selection (39.7% from the field overall), but he has certainly performed better than anyone the team has trotted out at the one spot since Carter-Williams was dealt.
This brings me to the question/topic for today: Is Ish Smith the long-term answer at point guard for the Sixers?
The Sixers aren’t viewed as a free agent destination around the league given their current state, which doesn’t bode well for landing a big name free agent to lead the team this offseason. This means that the team will either need to pin its hopes on Smith, who is an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, attempt to upgrade via the draft or to try and strike gold on the free agent market with a lower-tiered player.
So what say you? Should the Sixers look to re-sign Smith this offseason and hand the team over to him, or is he just a placeholder in your eyes? If you don’t believe Smith is the solution, who is a realistic target for the team either via the draft, free agency or the trade market? Take to the comments section to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.
Ish Smith and all the other point guards the Sixers gathered for this year are poor defenders, so that Philly could get the number one pick. No reason to spend on a player chosen to help us lose. We finally got the worst record, and have three perhaps four draft picks, plus $50M in cap space. If Ish were back,it’d be strictly as a mentor.
Ish isn’t the long-term answer. He’s a stop gap; the Ryan Fitzpatrick of point guards.
Love Ish, but we’ve endured the triple tank to avoid mediocrity. Need a true playmaker at the 1 to turn the corner.
There’s little hope for the Sixers—Management has lost the ability to make good roster making decisions. It’s the front office that needs a complete overhaul.
What decisions did they make that makes them an awful front office? Or is your stance based on them tanking?
What do you mean, “what decisions?”
Drafting ACL Noel, C.
Then drafting broken foot Embiid, C.
Then drafting no defense low post Okafor, C.
Three Centers. One of them plays D. One of them has a 1980s post game. One of them has one foot. Can’t put more than one of them on the floor at the same time. Centers are less valuable an asset than any time in 30 years.
So there’s that.
So they drafted hurt players, ok. Those hurt players along with Okafer were #1 picks if not hurt and Okafer fell because of fit. Tell how those are bad decisions? How about you tell me how the players drafted after them are faring.
1. They were hurt
2. Centers/big men historically are far more injury prone and therefore (a) less valuable to you; (b) less valuable assets in trade
3. You can’t develop 3 Centers at the same time. Therefore, the assets de-value even if they were healthy
4. Have you seen the direction of the NBA? Draymond Green plays the 5. 6’11 Giannis plays the point. Greg Monroe, last year’s biggest C FA is on the bench his game has dated so quickly. Aaron Gordon is more prototype future 5 in the modern NBA. Hinkie’s missed on all three.
5. 19 wins, 18 wins, and maybe 12 this year. Not just losing, but failing to put a roster together to develop his players. He’s hired a great Coach, I’ll give Hinkie that. But can you even imagine the toll it takes to continually get worse?
6. Below #6 where Noel was picked, Giannis at #15 is the superstar of the draft and McCollum at #10 is averaging 20 points per game. Hinkie missed on a star.
7. He also missed on picking the right Center especially at #6. If he was looking for a Center Dieng at #21 and Gobert at #27 are far, far far better value.
And I haven’t even gotten to the ’14 draft.
Okafor was the best player available at that time when he picked, But a 3rd Center? in 3 years? When they can’t play together? That’s the bad decision making I’m talking about.
So based on your theory that selecting 3 centers in the last 3 drafts means a poor front office decisions. What say you about the Celtics taking 5 guards in the last 2 drafts? Guess Ainge and the Celtics are a bad front office? Try backing up your statements with fact not your opinion.
So let’s take mediocre talent like Cleveland did in Anthony Bennett and not BPA just because we already have centers. Where’s Bennett now?
Dude, what are you talking about.
Hinkie’s stated from Day 1 he’s looking for a superstar. Right?
That’s not the same as BAP. Finding a superstar means looking at what a player MIGHT BECOME and taking on the risk of developing it.
Hinkie hasn’t even tried to look for a superstar, dude. He’s taken the safe freaking play every single year. This is what kills me about blind Hinkie supporters. You just said yourself, he’s taken the safe “BAP” irrespective of position which is, by definition, NOT LOOKING FOR A SUPERSTAR.
Furthermore, we could probably have forgiven him if he took the most freakish athlete in every draft and had 3 redundant wing players.
But he didn’t. So he not only didn’t draft superstar potential athletes, he drafted Centers with injury history..significant injuries in Noel and Embiid.
It’s beyond bad decision making. It’s incomprehensibly indefensibly awful.
Oh, and perhaps Hinkie forgot, ping pong balls have a big, big role to play in his strategy. Ugh.
I’d rather be a fan of the Suns or Bucks who are also a ping pong ball away from going from “a process” to a fantastic team in 2-3 years whilst Sam stockpiles injured obsolete 7 footers.
Exactly how are you gonna find a superstar without taking BPA. Well anyways your opinion is your opinion, when you have facts to back it up let me know.
Just based on the draft capital the Sixers gave up to reacquire Ish on Christmas Eve (two high second round picks), I don’t see how the Sixers just let him walk this offseason. We saw in New Orleans what he could do with better talent around him when he gets bigger minutes, and for some reason he works in Philly. He can’t play any defense but we don’t ask him to be a defender, rather someone who can actually run an NBA offense. His shot selection over the last month has been poor (too many mid-range shots) but overall he has been decent. I think in team building, PG is the last piece to the puzzle (and there are so many of them) so resigning Ish to a two-three year deal by slightly overpaying him would make sense (who else are the Sixers spending $ on?). He could be your starter next year or a high-quality backup. But TJ McConnell’s solid play this season has me questioning if the Sixers are better off with just TJ over Ish.
First, the Sixers were 1-30 before Ish. 3.3 win %.
The Sixers are 8-33 with Ish. 24.24 win%.
Ish Smith has most definitely translated to wins. The fact that you stated otherwise means you didn’t even bother to look.
Second, Ish Smith is not anyone’s answer to PG long term. He is a journeyman on his 10th team in six years (Sixers twice). He is a poor shooting ball dominant PG who likes to shoot, a lot, and is terrible on defense. If anyone has watched him play, or even looked at his stats, you know he isn’t the answer to anything but “who can we get cheap and quick”
Ish who?
What would work for me is a back court of Hield and Dunn
Ish is a fine player, but if Philly gets the Lakers’ pick and has a chance to add Kris Dunn, that’s their point guard of the future.