Ishmael Smith, a small point guard with a height of only 183cm.
As an undrafted player, he was homeless at the beginning of his career.
Everywhere he goes, people always feel that this will be the last stop of Smith's NBA career.
But every time, he used his own efforts to tenaciously survive in the alliance.
In the original time and space, Smith reached a small highlight of his career in the 15-16 season.
In that 76ers team that was full of injuries, he became the team's starting point guard for the first time, averaging 14.7 points, 7 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game.
Until Shen Fei crossed over, Smith was still active in the NBA, and his value had been affirmed.
As for Ty Lawson, who landed in the NBA a year earlier than him, the situation was completely different.
With a height of 183cm, he could make the All-Stars and the national team in his peak period, but after injuries, he quickly faded out of the league.
Later, the gold rush in the CBA was not smooth, and there was basically no ball to play with.
From a career perspective, Lawson is undoubtedly the better one.
But if you look at your entire career, Ishmael Smith may be a more worthy choice.
............
After Smith came on the court, he quickly showed his characteristics.
He is a typical small and quick guard with strong breakthrough ability and a good throwing shot.
Lawson, who is defending Smith, is a typical player who is strong in offense and weak in defense.
Under the combined effect of the two factors, Ishmael Smith first passed the pick-and-roll and succeeded with a throw one step ahead of the free throw line.
Then, he assisted Tucker who was ambushing in the bottom corner and helped the latter hit a three-pointer.
As soon as he came on the field, Smith helped the team score 5 points, and the effect was immediate.
CCTV commentator Su Qun was also very surprised by this: "Where did this young man come from? Why do you feel that any rookie in the Rockets has very good immediate combat effectiveness?"
In the VIP box, the Nuggets general manager also watched the game with great interest.
While reading, I kept tapping my fingers on the table, wondering what I was thinking.
When Ty Lawson saw the opponent's small guard performing so well, he immediately wanted to respond.
However, when he dribbled the ball through the frontcourt, the person who greeted him was not Ish Smith, but the defensive champion Tony Allen.
Lawson felt a headache when he saw Allen rushing towards him.
This guy's defense is very aggressive, but he rarely commits fouls. He is a rare one-on-one defensive gatekeeper who combines physical confrontation with defensive skills.
Lawson didn't know why Tony Allen wanted to guard him, a second-year guard, instead of dealing with Jr. Smith, who had a good touch.
Under continuous physical confrontation, Lawson could barely control the basketball.
It wasn't until his teammates stepped forward to pick and roll that he finally got a chance to breathe and changed the defense in front of him to the Rockets' inside...pj-Tucker!
Lawson's confidence immediately increased when he saw the power forward with an unconventional figure in front of him.
[Strong is indeed strong, but with this body of tendons, how much faster can you be?]
At this thought, Lawson first took two steps back to open up space, then suddenly started to speed up and made a large crossover about half a step away from Tucker!
Lawson's changes of direction are extremely fast and extremely deceptive, which is definitely one of the skills he relies on for survival.
Even though he was as defensively aware as Tucker, his center of gravity also shifted due to such shaking.
But he has a strong ability to adjust. After a brief loss of position, Tucker quickly regained his center of gravity and worked hard to defend.
Finally, just before Lawson completed the basketball, he jumped up and slapped the ball out of the baseline.
"Oh~ It's so beautiful! Lawson's attack was wonderful, but Tucker's defense was even better!"
Zhang Weiping said excitedly.
"Director Zhang, Tucker was specially invited to the Rockets from overseas leagues by Shen Fei."
"I don't think he is a traditional striker. In terms of height, he is more inclined to the 3 position, but in these games with the Rockets, he has played the power forward position."
Su Qun said with some confusion.
"This kind of player, if he plays well, he is called all-rounder, but if he plays poorly, he is an average player."
"Judging from these few minutes in the second quarter, he can hold up against the opponent's center in the paint, and he can also keep up with smaller players on the outside."
"I think with Tucker's presence, the Rockets no longer need Chuck Hayes."
Zhang Weiping analyzed.
While the two were talking, Rockets had already launched a counterattack.
Ishmael Smith made a long shot, passed Ty Lawson with a one-handed in&out feint, and used the screen to get to the basket again.
"woo..."
The fans at the Pepsi Center screamed in surprise.
Just when they thought Smith was about to score again, a figure appeared out of nowhere, standing between Ismael Smith and the basket.
The person coming is none other than Chris Anderson!
He is like a soaring bird, flying in the air, and then waving its wings...
"Snapped!"
Like playing volleyball, Anderson fanned the ball directly to the second level of the stands.
In an instant, the Pepsi Center burst into applause and cheers.
This goal boosted the Nuggets' morale so much!
After completing the block, Anderson happily high-fived his teammates to celebrate.
Seeing this scene, Nuggets manager Karnisovas was very excited. He turned around and said to Shen Fei with a smile:
"Look, I'm telling you Chris still has plenty of gas in the tank!"
"You have a good vision. If he comes to the Rockets, he will definitely be able to provide you with a lot of help."
When Shen Fei heard this, he smiled and shook his head.
"I said before that we want to trade Anderson, mainly because our boss Alexander likes him and wants him to lead the young players on our team."
"After joining the Rockets, Anderson may not have much playing time."
"In other words, his current performance on the court is not actually the most important thing."
Naturally, Asian young people will not give the other party the opportunity to raise prices.
After all, from beginning to end, Karnisovas didn't know that the Rockets' goal was to win the championship this season.
When the opponent thinks that the Rockets are determined to rebuild, it doesn't matter how much Anderson's immediate combat ability remains.
Seeing that Shen Fei was unmoved, Karnisovas smiled awkwardly, but he couldn't think of anything to retort.
"The little guard on your team is pretty good. Counting Jeremy Lin from before, Houston's backcourt reserves will already be very rich in the future."
He changed the subject.
"What, are you interested?"
"Jeremy is not for sale to us. You know, the Rockets have always attached great importance to the Chinese market. Although he is Chinese-American, he is also of great use."
"Ismail Smith is also undrafted, but we have observed him for a long time. He has made great progress every year since college. He is a step-by-step type."
Shen Fei talked eloquently.
"However, he seems a little dissatisfied with his position in the team. I am still discussing this matter with the head coach."
The Asian young man added another sentence.
"Oh? Is it because you are dissatisfied with being the team's third choice at the point guard position?"
Karnisovas asked with a smile.
Shen Fei nodded.
At the same time, on the court, Jordan Hill became more and more courageous with the support of buffs.
Facing Anderson's defense, although he could not play alone, he got a lot of shooting opportunities by providing pick-and-rolls for Ismael Smith.
Tonight, the basket was as wide as the ocean to Jordan Hill.
After several cooperations, the Rockets gradually opened up the score and forced the Nuggets coach to call a timeout.
Karnisovas became more and more satisfied with Hill as he looked at it. Considering the conditions Shen Fei had previously proposed, he tentatively asked:
"How about you add Ishmael Smith? We can consider Ty Lawson."