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Ish Smith Takes Reign of Pistons

With Reggie Jackson sidelined for at least the next six weeks, there could be a decent buying opportunity available in Detroit via his replacement, Ish Smith.

Until last night, we hadn’t seen Smith as a starter this season, but his 18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal were good enough for seven-times value (FanDuel points per $1,000), helping remind us of his 32 starts for the Pistons last year. In those starts, we saw an uptick in nearly every statistical category, including shooting percentages, scoring, rebounds, and assists.

Aside from a few instances, Smith hasn’t been anything crazy from a fantasy standpoint this season, but his productivity and value may have been sneaking below the radar. Over the course of the last month (not counting his 39 FanDuel points last night), Smith’s 16.5 FanDuel points per game at a sub-$4,000 salary means he’s been a four-times value guy, on average, over the last 13 games.

The salary will certainly rise with Smith’s recent promotion, but he should be well worth a look in the low to mid $5,000 range as a second point guard.

Smith and the Pistons take on the San Antonio Spurs tomorrow night, followed by road games in Miami and Philadelphia next week.