Ish Smith
Ish Smith, a journeyman combo guard, has terrorized Toronto in the past. In fact, the Raptors and the Rockets are the only two teams guilty of allowing Smith to average double-digit points for his career.
In his biggest performance, in January 2016, Smith dropped 28 on the dinos. Luckily, however, the Raptors ultimately prevailed over Smith’s team at the time, the Philadelphia 76ers.
The cause of many “good timeouts”, Smith routinely gave Dwane Casey fits with his ability to penetrate and finish at the rim. In 21 career contests against the Raptors, Smith has reached double-digit points in nine of those games and has shot, on average, 49.7 percent from the field, his third-highest figure among all NBA teams.
He’s also excelled as a distributor versus Toronto, especially recently. Last season, in three games against Nick Nurse’s squad, Smith averaged seven assists per night, more than any 2018-19 opponent.
Now with the Washington Wizards, having signed a two-year contract earlier in the summer, Smith could continue to see heavy minutes against the rival Raptors. The long-time backup enters the season as the presumed starter while John Wall continues to recover from an Achilles injury.
Without Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, containing the dribble may prove difficult for Nick Nurse’s squad. Only time will tell if the champs’ defensive hubris can withstand the loss of The Claw and Green Ranger. Even with the former Spurs duo, containing Smith proved somewhat difficult.
No matter his jersey, Ish Smith has proven to be a tough equation to solve for Raptors teams over the years. Far from a household name, the sight of Ishmael Smith trotting onto the hardcourt to face the Raptors still gives me the heebee jeebies. (Or however you spell it)
Two more killers remain at large…