There are all sorts of on-off stats and plus-minus stats and stuff that will have you believe that Ish Smith is a way better player for the Pistons than Reggie Jackson. Do I believe those stats? I don’t know. I can certainly imagine Smith being a better team-player than Jackson. There are anecdotal reports that the rest of the team is happier with Smith than they are with Jackson. So maybe these stats have truth to tell.
Smith might be having the most impactful season of his career this year, even better than last year’s combined Pelicans-76ers effort where he channeled Steve Nash (more accurately, had his brain swapped for Nash’s by aliens with laser guns from outer space) for a good portion of it. He isn’t the answer to Detroit’s playoff problem, but who is? He’s just a good backup/middling starting PG who can pass the ball enough to not make everyone angry at him.