NBA Week 13 Rewind: Warriors put Cavaliers in their place
By Tom West
Under-the-radar Players to Watch Next Week
Ish Smith has arrived in Philadelphia as the saviour of the 76ers. Well, at least he’s going to try. In his first game they defeated the Phoenix Suns 111-104 for just their second win of the season, and that’s only the start. They have a 5-8 record since trading for Smith, which, by the hopeless standards of the 76ers, is exceptional.
Obviously the talent level is beyond low in Philly, and besides Jahlil Okafor there aren’t exactly many offensive options. That being said, what Smith is doing is worthy of some praise when he has so little to work with. Per 36 minutes, he’s averaging 18.4 points, 9.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals. He runs everywhere, he’s creating for teammates who aren’t able to create for themselves, and he’s adding a quick offensive punch even if he’s not been too efficient (40.1 percent shooting).
You can’t argue that he isn’t producing. Going forward, the 76ers at least look like they’ve found a point guard who can give them the kind of playmaking ability and energy they need.
Brook Lopez continues to put up the kind of numbers that are giving him one of the best seasons of his career, as the clear-cut MVP of an otherwise useless 12-33 Brooklyn Nets team.
He’s their go-to scorer thanks to his soft touch on the low block, reliable hook shot and mid-range game (44.1 percent from 16-24 feet). He’s at 19.8 points per game, and his average of 8.3 rebounds is the highest mark he’s recorded since 2009-10. As for his defense, he’s been a force inside the paint. He may be slow and less effective away from the basket, but he’s giving opponents trouble inside. From within six feet of the basket he’s forcing players to shoot an entire 9.7 percent lower than normal, and even up to 10 feet out he’s limiting opponents by 8.9 percent.
Last week was a perfect example of what Lopez can do, as he averaged 21 points on 56.3 percent shooting, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. The best part of his week, though, was that after three losses (nothing new there) he went off for 31 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-106 after Kevin Durant and Co. had previously won seven straight.